Where do I belong
by Metope
Summary: "Regina I love you! We love you! Never forget that!" Cora yelled while the sound of the screams of fear coming from their daughter faded and the portal closed itself again. What if it wasn't just Bae who was the victim of a by a magic bean created portal? Regina loses her parents at the age of five. Cora finally finds a way to get back to her daughter: The dark curse. STABLEQUEEN
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**The Enchanted Forest**

* * *

59 years ago

Cora couldn't help but laugh out loud when she watched how the bean she had just poured a few drops of her potion on, recovered from the dried out dead bean it had been moments ago to the healthy living, and more important, probably _working_ bean it had been before.

"Mommy? What are you doing?" Cora whirled around in surprise to see her five year old daughter standing in the doorway of the beautiful glass garden house that was at the farthest corner of the Mills estate. Cora couldn't help but smile when she looked upon her daughter, her hair was kept out of her face by a purple bow, and dark brown locks fell softly down on her small shoulders, emphasizing the bright purple colour of her dress.

"Regina dear," She started. "How did you get here? Where is your father? How did you find me here?"

The girl shrugged. "I was following the purple sparks, like the ones in your bottle, and then I found you, mommy." The girl said while she pointed at the flask filled with purple magic her mother was holding. "What is that, mommy? Is it magic?" When she said the word her eyes widened a little with excitement.

Cora sighed, her daughter was so young and yet already so receptive for the temptations of magic. She wasn't supposed to be able to see 'the purple sparks' as the innocent girl called them. It was magic in its purest form, only those who were very skilled in practicing magic could see them, and yet, Regina apparently could see it too.

"Yes, Regina. It is magic." Cora replied calmly, she decided it would be best to be honest with the girl or she would never stop asking.

"What kind of magic? What can it do?" The girl asked eagerly, now entering the garden house to get a better look at the bottle.

"It's good magic, Regina. You can see that because it has such a bright colour." Cora explained to her daughter.

"Can I do magic too, mommy? Can I?" Regina was now standing next to her mother, pulling at Cora's skirt as to emphasize her eagerness to practice magic. But Cora shook her head. "No dear, you cannot. Magic isn't for children to play with. One should stay away from magic as far as one can."

"But you do magic too." The girl pouted. "How come you say we have to stay away from it when you are using magic yourself?"

Cora sighed, sometimes she wished her daughter had inherited a little more of her father's genes than just his tanned skin and dark brown, almost black, hair and eyes. But of course the girl was just as stubborn as her mother, she knew what she wanted, and usually also how to get it.

If Cora could stop with magic, she would have already, but unfortunately she couldn't, she had made a deal. A deal that had made sure she could keep her daughter, and if that meant she had to practice magic, and fight against the magic blackening her heart every day, then so be it. For her daughter was everything to Cora, and every time she looked into those big innocent chocolate brown orbs, she was reminded that she had made the right decision back then, when she had promised the imp to help him find a way to make the magic beans work again. And now she had, or so she thought, her dept to the warlock was almost paid, and then she could finally continue her life with her husband and daughter, without fear.

"It's complicated, Regina. I can't explain everything of it to you. Maybe when you are older I will."

"But I want to do magic too, and I want to now." The girl pouted with an angry frown on her face as she stamped her foot.

"Regina – " Cora started in a disapproving tone, but she got interrupted by the strange voice that was all too familiar to her.

"You should listen to your mother child. She is right when she tells you one should stay away from magic as far as possible."

Regina responded by hiding herself in her mother's skirts, afraid of the creature with the big green eyes and the almost golden skin suddenly standing in front of her.

"O now don't be afraid. I'm just here to talk to your mother. She has something for me you know." The imp said in a fake sweet sounding voice. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't harm you, a girl who can sense magic at such a young age...I would never harm such a special girl. I am Rumplestiltskin." He said and he offered her a hand.

The five year old just buried her face in her mother's skirt. "Mommy, I'm scared." She whimpered softly.

Cora bend down so her eyes were at her daughter's level. "Regina, "she started in a calm voice. "I need you to go play outside now for a while. Mother needs to speak with this man here." By the fear Cora saw in her daughter's eyes, she knew Regina wasn't convinced.  
"It's okay honey. I will be alright. Just go out and play a while, find your father. I will come and get you the moment I am done, okay?"

Regina nodded, although she wasn't exactly planning on doing what her mother told her. She didn't trust this Mister Rumleskin, or whatever his name was. He looked evil, and Regina could see that her mother too was afraid of him. The girl was afraid he would hurt her mother, so the best thing she could do was try to save her. And that was why Regina nodded, appearing to be an obedient daughter, and then turned around to leave the garden house, grasping a purple glowing bean from the table on her way out. Things that glowed purple were magical, and what better way to save her mother from this evil looking man than with magic? Just like in the stories her father always told her before she went to sleep. She would thoroughly investigate this pretty bean, to see what magic it contained and how she could use it to save her mommy. Maybe daddy could help her...

* * *

The moment Cora was sure Regina was out of earshot she started talking angrily to the imp. "Rumple, haven't I told you I don't want you to come here by day? Look how scared my daughter was and what if my husband sees you?"

The imp just giggle to Cora's great annoyance. "O dearie, dearie, dearie. After all these years you still don't seem to understand that it is me who makes the rules here." And with a flick of his wrist he made Cora gasp for air to prove his point.

"Now, I heard you finally managed to create the bean I asked you for." He said, releasing Cora from his magic so she could answer.

The woman coughed a few times and then nodded. "Yes." She said. "I was able to create a potion with the waters of lake Nostos that revived the bean."

"Show me." The imp said eagerly and the brunette nodded again, however when she turned around to grab the bean from the table her eyes widened. It was gone.

"What's the matter dearie?" The imp asked, noticing the look of horror on the woman's face.

"It's gone." Cora breathed. "I had put the bean right here, on this table, and now it's gone..." Cora was frantically thinking where the bean could have gone when it hit her. "Regina...Regina must have taken it. Thinking it was pretty or something. O dear Gods." Cora panicked and she quickly made her way out of the garden house to go look for her daughter, the imp followed, knowing exactly how this would end. Seeing the future sure had its perks, the only thing Rumplestiltskin had to do now, was making sure Cora wouldn't get in the way of faith...

* * *

Cora didn't have to look long for her daughter. She found the five year old on her way running to her father, who was standing halfway the path to their house. "Daddy!" She heard the girl yell. "Daddy, there is a strange man with mommy, but I am going to rescue her. I have magic! Look I have a bean and it's purple! It's magic!"

"Regina!" Cora screamed in a panicked voice. "Regina stop! Stop running right now, don't move!"

When Regina's brain registered the words her mother was yelling at her she did as her mother told her to, noticing the fear in her mother's voice the little girl knew this wasn't a time to disobey her mother.

Cora slowed down her pace when she saw her daughter listened to her, she stopped walking to catch her breath. When she looked up she saw how her husband was approaching her, his eyes fixed on a point behind her, she realized Rumplestiltskin must have followed her.

"Cora, what is the meaning of all this?"She heard Henry ask while he walked past his daughter to his wife and the imp that was catching up with them at his own relaxed pace.

Cora however ignored her husband for the moment, focusing on the slumbering danger her daughter was in.

"Regina, honey. I believe you took something from the garden house you shouldn't have taken. I want you to come to me and just hand it to me when I'm close enough to you so you can give it to me without risking letting it fall. Okay?"

"But mommy," the girl started with a little voice. "I wanted to rescue you from the scary man..."

Cora smiled softly, her heart warmed at her daughter's words. "That's very sweet and brave of you dear. But I'm fine, you see? You don't need to rescue me. The only thing you need to do now is carefully hand me the bean."

Regina looked at her mother for a while, then at the evil man and finally her big brown eyes rested on her father. Henry, who had been able to understand that his daughter was holding some magical item that held potential danger, gave her an encouraging nod. For the girl, that seemed to be the confirmation she needed and she started walking towards her mother, the bean in her right hand.

Cora couldn't help but sigh in relieve when she saw her daughter walking towards her. Rumplestiltskin responded to that with a scary giggle, normally, when he met Cora she was this composed woman, all emotions seemingly absent from her face. But this was Cora as a mother, and she was so much softer, so much more vulnerable.

The giggle however startled Regina and she shifted her eyes from her mother to the imp, while continuing to walk. Unfortunately, the motor skills of a five year old being what they are, Regina's loss of focus on what she was doing in combination with a tussock of grass standing out just a little more than the others, led to the girl tripping and falling. A small gasp left her lips while she fell forward her hand opening to catch herself and the bean falling to the ground next to her. The moment the bean touched the ground a strong wind started to blow and the ground next and under Regina started to change into a dark purple whirlpool.

Cora screamed out in fear for her daughter when she saw the girl trip and the portal open. However when she started to walk forward it seemed as if invisible ties were keeping her from getting anywhere near her daughter. She saw how Henry too seemed to be unable to get to Regina.

Cora turned around and when she saw the right hand of the imp glowing a dark red she knew who was preventing them from getting to their daughter. "Let us go!" Cora yelled at him. "That is _your_ bean, your ticket to wherever you wanted to go. Let us go save our daughter and jump in there yourself!" She yelled.

But the imp just shook his head. "O no dearie. This is how it is supposed to happen."

"What?" Cora yelled out in frustration, she wanted to yell at the imp again while she was desperately trying to break the spell with her own magic. The screams of fear from the direction of her daughter however turned her attention back to Regina.

"Mommy!" The girl screamed terrified while she was preventing herself from falling into the portal by desperately holding on to the grass. "Daddy! Help me! I'm falling!"

"Cora do something!" Henry yelled in anger.

"You _Monster_!" Cora screamed in frustration while every attempt to break the spell Rumplestiltskin was holding her and Henry in."Let us go!"

"Mommy!" Regina cried and at the same moment the grass she had been holding on to got sucked in to the portal taking the girl with it.

"Regina!" Cora yelled again tears streaming down her face while she was still struggling to break free."Regina I love you! We love you! Never forget that!" She yelled while the sound of the screams of fear coming from their daughter faded and the portal closed itself again.

Both Cora and Henry immediately felt the magical barrier being lifted and both parents fell down to the ground crawling their way over to the place their daughter had disappeared from. Cora's body was shocking through her sobs while she slammed her fists to the ground, as if it would magically open the portal again.

"Where did she go?" Henry asked through his tears in a voice that was beyond angry while he stood up and turned to face the imp that was still just standing there, smiling.

"I don't know." The imp said and he shrugged.

"What?" The man growled. "What do you mean, you don't know. You're the reason she's gone now so you're going to tell us where she is now too."

"I don't know where she is _now_." The imp replied. "However, I know where she _will_ be in years from now."

"What do you mean?"

"There are things you have to take into account when you talk about other realms, you know." The imp continued. "I don't know where she is now, I can only see those parts of the future that concern _me_, that interest _me_. I don't know what happens to your precious child in the meanwhile. All I can tell you, is that dear Cora here will cast a curse in 30 years, a curse that will send us to the land your daughter will be in."

"No." A broken voice sounded. "No, I will never _never_ use magic again. All magic comes with a price, and the price I paid today...that price was too high. Everything I did, _everything_, was to be able to keep my daughter, and now the decision I made back then to keep my daughter, exactly that decision has taken her from me! I want you to go. I want you to go right now and I want you to _never_ come back! The deal is off! I would help you and that would mean I could keep my daughter, now I've lost my daughter, therefore I won't help you anymore!"

The smirk on the imps voice caused the woman to scream in anger. "Go! Go away!" She yelled and she sent a ball of fire his way. "As you wish. I'm looking forward to our next encounter dearie. " Was all the imp said and with a poof of smoke he was gone. Leaving two adults, two devastated parents behind that sought comfort with each other.

Henry took his wife in his arms, he didn't understand everything but what he did know was that this hadn't been what Cora had wanted. She had made mistakes in the past, that much was clear, but this, this was not her fault. And so he just held her, while his wife cried in his arms, heartbroken, the guilt and the pain too much for her. Their daughter, their sweet, smart, beautiful five year old daughter was gone...

* * *

_Thirty Years Later  
_  
"Are you sure you want to do this dearie?" The imp asked from behind the bars of his cell, his big inhuman eyes staring at his former protégé with excitement.

Cora nodded. "Yes." She said in a cold voice.

"So did you kill your husband already? " The witch sent him a confused look. "Why would I do that."

"Why, didn't you do your homework dearie? The curse needs the heart of what you love most."

Cora smirked. "O but dear Rumple. Don't you know love is weakness? I ripped out my heart long ago. It was clouding my judgement, it was keeping me from the only way of reuniting with my daughter. I don't have a heart anymore, therefore my husband..he isn't the one I love most. What I love most...is power...magic...and magic is what I will give up in order to cast the curse." And without waiting for the imp to reply Cora disappeared in dark purple smoke.

She reappeared in front of the roaring fire, all she had to do was stripe herself from her magic now and add it to the fire.

"Are you ready?" Henry asked, standing next to her.

Cora nodded. "Yes." She said. "You know what to do once I am done? We won't have much time before the curse will consume everything."

Henry nodded, holding his wife's heart securely in his hand.

"Okay, well, here goes nothing." Cora said in a voice absent of all emotion. Henry watched how his wife whispered a spell in a language he didn't know and then how she directed a purple beam of light coming from her hands to the fire. The fire increased, the sound of thunder was audible from the sky and a dark black cloud started to engulf them.

"Now, Henry!" Cora yelled when she was done and fell to her knees, exhausted by the sudden lack of magical energy in her body. Henry quickly took his wife in his arms and softly pressed the heart against Cora chest, like she had taught him. Henry watched how his hand with the heart disappeared into his wife's chest. He softly pulled his hand back again and watched how Cora closed her eyes in exhaustion and pain.

"You did it. I can feel it again. The curse is enacted, I have my heart, and both of us will remember...we won..." She breathed and she smiled softly when she felt how Henry tightened his arms around her when the black smoke engulfed them entirely.

* * *

**Well there you go!**

**A small explanation regarding ages and all:  
Regina is 5 in this chapter, Snow hasn't been born yet at this very moment, she will be 28 like in the original story the moment Cora enacts the curse(-2+30=28), meaning the age difference between Snow and Regina will be 7 years ****.**

Although not yet in this particular chapter, this story will also contain Emma and Snow ;) Don't worry.  


**Please tell me what you think ****! Read and Review! O and don't worry, I haven't abandoned my other two stories of course ****.**

**x**

**Metope**


	2. Chapter 1

**I  
Storybrooke  
**_Present time_

Emma left the sheriff's station while she was humming the melody of some top 40 song she had heard on the radio and that had been stuck in her head ever since. She was in quite a good mood, it had been a year since the curse broke and everything had turned out quite well. However it was still hard to believe that a year ago, she had just been living in Boston as a bounty hunter, thinking her parents had abandoned her. And then the letter had come. The fake letter from August - although she didn't know at the time it was from August, or that it was fake – stating she was being offered a job as deputy sheriff at this little town in Maine, called Storybrooke. Sick with her boring life in Boston she decided to take the job, it would mean better payment and a change of environment was never bad, she thought. The first few weeks spent in Storybrooke passed rather normal, but then she had met August and he had come to her with the book, the book with fairytales. And he had stated them to be real, that the stories were about this town. That the evil mayor of the town was in fact a witch, that she had cast a curse together with her husband that had sent all fairytale characters to this world, where they were trapped in this town _and _in time... That Mr. Gold, who owned the town, was in fact Rumplestiltskin and that the local school teacher, miss Blanchard was in fact Snow White. Emma herself was the saviour according to August, she was the one that had made time pass again, and she would be the one to be the cause of the curse breaking. Emma had laughed about it, not believing him of course.

But August seemed to really believe in this weird theory of his, he stated in order to break the curse, it was necessary to find where prince Charming was, he and Snow White had to find each other again, their true loves kiss would break the curse. And well, it turned out August had been right indeed. It turned out Prince Charming had been lying in a coma for years, however, Mary Margaret had been able t wake him up. It took a couple of months and an affair – for David was apparently married before he fell into a coma – but finally both of them decided to choose one another, and when they kissed, the curse broke indeed. And all of the sudden, it turned out she had a mother and a father. They had explained to her how the mayor of Storybrooke had indeed been a heartless witch who had threatened to curse them all, Rumplestiltskin had told the King and Queen that their daughter would save them on her 28th birthday, and so they had made sure she would be safe from the curse. It had taken Emma a while to come to terms with that decision, but eventually she had found herself able to forgive her parents. And even if she hadn't be able, she would have had to, because the fact that Rumplestiltskin had brought magic back to Storybrooke the moment the curse broke, didn't make things easier. She first had spend several weeks together with Snow in the Enchanted Forest, when they had tried to rescue Cora – who hadn't had her heart inside of her when she planned and cast the curse, it turned out – from mr. Gold's revenge, being a wraith.

Then, when Cora had brought them back, risking her own life with that, she had proved to Emma to be 'one of the good guys', it turned out to be mr. Gold who seemed to be really dangerous. He had forced Emma to go with him, in search for his son. He had used a white globe to find the location of his son and had smashed the globe – apparently it was unique – before Cora and her husband could use it to find _their_ daughter. To make a long and very chaotic story short, Gold's son had turned out to be Emma's ex Neal. He had come home with them and now..now she had a boyfriend again, dare she say it.

It had been tough to get the rest of the town to accept Cora and Henry. The book didn't tell their story, the reason why they had cast the curse was unknown. So one night, six months after the curse broke, Emma had decided to call in a council meeting in which Cora and Henry were given the chance to explain their actions, and they had done so.

They had explained how Rumplestiltskin had prevented them from saving their daughter – Neal had been furious – and how Cora, unable to live with the pain, had eventually ripped out her own heart so she would be able to cast the horrible curse. However, the magic she had to learn in order to cast the curse combined with the fact that she couldn't feel love anymore, had made her a dangerous witch, feared by all the lands. When Snow White and Prince Charming had heard of the curse being cast they had tried to stop Cora, it had been how Charming had gotten injured. However Cora and Henry emphasized they had always wanted the curse to be broken, just like Rumplestiltskin had wanted that. The curse was supposed to keep Cora's and Henry's memory intact, however, that hadn't happened, meaning none of the residents of Storybrooke, literally no one, knew they were cursed. Not until Emma had been the one to reunite her parents and their true love's kiss broke the curse. The name of their daughter was unknown to all of them, Cora and Henry refused to tell her name. When Snow had asked why, Cora had told them it was private. It was their story, their misery, their living hell, and she didn't want to talk about it more than necessary. The townspeople had laughed about this, but Snow had told them to be quite, she understood. She knew what it was to lose your child, she knew how incredibly unbearable that pain was, and so she understood why Cora and Henry didn't want to talk too much about their daughter, it just hurt too much.

The council meeting had been a good idea, now everyone understood the motives of Cora and Henry, it was easier for them to forgive them. Mr. Gold seemed to have calmed down as well, and if he wasn't Neal and Belle made sure he would, and so, everything had been rather quite for a couple of months now, Emma concluded happily, while she had arrived at the diner and got snapped out of her thoughts by her parents, Neal and Ruby greeting her.

"Hi!" Emma said happily. "How's your day so far?" She then asked while she went to sit next to Neal in the booth, facing her parents.

"Fine, fine." Neal nodded.

"I have loads of math tests to correct." Snow sighed.

"I feel your pain." Emma answered with a smirk.

"Yeah right." Snow huffed, Emma just laughed.

"You're unusually happy today Emma." David remarked. "Hardly any cynical comments to find in your words today."

Emma shrugged. "I was just thinking how my life has changed over this past year, and how everything turned out to be crazy as _hell_, but pretty awesome nonetheless."

Snow smiled. "I'm glad you think about it that way Emma. We're sorry we left you like that Emma, we really are."

Emma smiled back to her mother. "I know that Snow. You've apologized for it a thousand times, and I've told you just as many times that I forgive you, it's in the past."

"I know," Snow started. "But – " However Snow didn't get to finish her sentence because Emma's phone started ringing. She didn't recognize the number but decided to take the call anyways.

"Sheriff Swan, how can I help you?" She answered the phone in a happy voice.

_"Emma?"_ A soft voice was heard from the other side.

"Yes that's me. Who is this I'm speaking with?" Emma asked confused, she recognized the voice but she didn't exactly know from where.

_"Uhm..it's..it's Regina.."_

"Regina?" Emma asked surprised.

_"We lived together for a while..in the foster home?"_ When Emma didn't respond right away Regina started to talk again. _"...I'm sorry. You don't remember me, it was stupid of me to call. It's been a while. I'm sorry bothering you I – "_

"No, no, no, no, no. Regina, wait. I do remember you. I remembered you right away! We didn't live _a while_ together, it were like six years! We grew up together! You know, as a matter of fact, you'll never believe this, but I am sitting next to Neal as we speak. How funny." Emma started to ramble. "But why is it you called? How are you? How did you get my number?"

_"I-..I got your number from the internet. I started thinking about you the other day, and I googled your name and found out you now were a sheriff somewhere in this town called Storybrooke?"_ Regina's voice sounded in the same soft way she had been talking the entire time. Her voice sounded sad, Emma thought.

"O yes, of course, I'm the sheriff of Storybrooke indeed." And you can now that now because the protection spell that made our town invisible is gone, how inconvenient with all these weirdos here. "So, you didn't answer my other question yet, are you okay? Is there a particular reason why you called? The last time I heard from you, you were getting married, are you still with the lucky guy? Tell me." Emma now completely ignored the curious looks of her parents, and apparently Neal who knew she was talking to Regina.

It was quite for a while on the other end of the line. _"My husband died...four months ago."_ Regina finally answered.

"O my god, I'm so sorry Gina." Emma said shocked. "How are you holding up?"

_"I uhm I'm managing it's just..." _Emma heard Regina's voice break and then a children's voice on t he background. _'Mommy, to who are you talking? Can I have something to eat?' "Emma, do you have a second?" _Regina asked, Emma answered in agreement and she heard Regina mumble something, probably to the child she had heard before, she had probably covered the phone with her hand for Emma couldn't exactly hear anything that was being said.

_"Okay I'm back."_ Regina said and Emma could hear her sigh, when she continued to speak her voice sounded steadier and stronger, more like Emma knew Regina. _"Look Emma, the reason why I called you was because...I need a break. I need to get away from where I am living now. My friends pity me too much, the family of my husband thinks I'm not a fitted parent because I'm a single parent now, I – I have a five year old son and..."_Emma heard Regina swallow her tears back. _"And everyone wants something from me, and I just don't know what to do anymore! And you, you were always there for me, without asking questions. So, I was wondering, could I stay with you for a while? Or do you know a place to stay in the town where you live? I know it's weird to ask since we haven't actually seen each other for ten years or something, but...I just need to get away from here and I don't know where else to go."_ Emma heard Regina's voice waver again and the children's voice in the back, her son Emma now assumed, telling his mother not to cry.

"Jesus Regina. Of course you can come." Emma answered when it didn't seem like Regina was going to say anything else. "My apartment is rather small however, but I can rent you a room here at the bed and breakfast. It's a perfect place to stay. Is there anything else you need? Where are you now? Do I need to pick you up?"

She heard Regina laugh. _"Well as a matter of fact I am standing on the side of the road facing the Storybrooke town sign as we speak. I first just wanted to show up, but I got scared and decided to call first. Thank you Emma, this really means a lot to me."_

"Hey, no problem, Gina." Emma answered with a small smile on her lips. "Everyone needs a break from life sometimes, this could be the perfect place for it. If you enter the town you'll see a diner on your right after a while. I'm there right now with my parents – long story - , Neal is here too as I said. Why don't you come over here. Granny, she owns the bed and breakfast, also owns the diner, so you can rent a room for you and your son right away."

_"Thank you Emma. I will see you in a couple of minutes then._" Regina said, en Emma could hear the relieve in her voice.

"It's a date." Emma joked and then put down the phone, when she looked up again she saw the curious faces of her parents and Neal staring at her.

.

"Who was that?" David eventually asked.

"That..." Emma started. "That was Regina. Someone I met when I was in a foster home when I grew up. She is five years older than me. I got there when I was eight, she was thirteen and she immediately took care of me. I met Neal in the same foster home, we became good friends, the three of us, but when Regina turned eighteen she had to leave. Whe've been in touch a couple of times after... The last thing I heard from her was when she was getting married, that was ten years ago, she married rather young I guess..she must have been 25 or something."

"Wow." Neal now said. "I never thought we would get back together again. It's a small world." He joked. "But, what was wrong? Why did she decide to come here?"

Emma shook her head. "Her husband died a couple of months ago, I didn't ask how, from the sound of her voice she didn't seem to be over it at all. She told me she needed a break from her pushy friends and her in-laws who think she is incapable of being a good mother to her five year old son because she now is a single parent. So now I invited her to stay here at the B&B." Emma concluded.

"Emma, you shouldn't have done that!" Snow exclaimed. "Think of all the trouble we had hiding our true selves from Greg! That only went well because he didn't actually know any of us, this Regina. She'll be around you, and her son, he's five, he's curious, they will see things. They will find out!" Snow now exclaimed. The raising of her voice causing to draw the attention of no one less than Cora and Henry who were sitting a booth behind the Charmings.

"Excuse me Snow. I couldn't help but overhearing your conversation, since you were talking so loudly." Cora started. "But do I understand that Miss Swan has invited a stranger, a friend of hers who is completely unaware of our 'special' status, to this town?"

Snow nodded sheepishly. She may know now that Cora wasn't evil, but the mayor of Storybrooke could still be rather intimidating.

"Why on earth would you do such a thing, sheriff?" Cora asked. "Everything was just calming down, did you forget already through how much trouble we went in order to hide our true identity from Mr. Mendell?"

Emma shook her head. "No but..."

"No but, miss Swan. I really think it would be best if you would call your friend back to tell her she can't come."

"No I won't do that." Emma stated.

Cora arched an eyebrow. "O and why is that if I may ask you? Need I remind you that you are refusing a request of the _mayor_ of this town?" The woman said in a firm voice.

"No you do not need to remind me of that at all _Cora_." Emma started, deliberately not using her professional title. "However, my friend, she's been through a lot these past months, she needs a break from things. She has been there for me in the past and now I'm there for her. I'm not leaving Regina alone."

A small gasp left Cora's lips. "What did you say your friends name was?"

Emma opened her mouth to repeat her friend's name when the door of the diner flew open and a little boy entered the diner running straight to Archie's dog Pongo.

"Doggie!" The boy exclaimed happily and he started to pet the dog, which earned him an amicable lick on his cheek from the dog.

"Henry, honey come back. You can't just run to someone else's dog like that." They heard a gentle low voice coming from the doorway and when Emma and the rest of the people present turned around, they saw a woman who was probably the boy's mother standing in the doorway. She had dark brown, almost black hair that reached just until her shoulders. Her eyes were a dark chocolate brown and her skin was slightly toned. She was wearing a beige trench coat that was hanging open to the sides of her body. A black dress was gracing her body, showing not only her female curves very well, but also the fact that this woman seemed to be about four months pregnant. She was quite something, rather beautiful actually, however all of the beauty was barely visible behind the wall of exhaustion and pain that was visible in the woman's eyes.

"Regina." Emma said as she walked over to the woman and pulled her in for a hug. The woman started to cry right away.

"I'm sorry," She apologized. "It's the stupid hormones, they make me cry all the time."

"You didn't mention you were pregnant on the phone." Emma said softly.

"I didn't really know how to tell you." The brunette answered. "Every- Everyone thinks...Everytime I tell someone..." Regina was unable to continue, sobs preventing her from doing so.

"Hey, hey. Calm down." Emma said in a soothing voice while she softly rubbed the woman's back.

"I'm sorry Emma. I didn't plan on crying at all." Regina sobbed.

Emma smiled. "No one ever plans on crying in public. But when it's all just too much, you do anyways. Now come with me because there are way too many people here that want nothing more than know everything about someone else's private live." Emma said while she stared down everyone whose eyes were still fixed on the sheriff and the crying woman. "Neal will watch your son for a while." Emma said, Regina looked up to see Neal sitting in a booth with two other people. He waved shortly to her and she sent him a sad smile back.

"Come." Emma said softly as she gently pulled the woman with her in the direction of the ladies bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up a little." Regina just nodded as she followed her blonde friend, and both of them were completely oblivious of the mayor who was still standing in the middle of the diner, her mouth slightly agape, while her mind was trying to reason whether or not the woman that had just entered the diner, could be her daughter or not.

**Whoop, I'm on a roll :P! Please read and review!**

**I know things are still unclear, you'll just have to be patient and continue reading to find out what the relationship between emma, neal and regina exactly is.**

**Also: WE NEED A SHIP THAT IS NOT EMMA(and therefore not Neal either) FOR REGINA HERE PEOPLE! SUGGESTIONS :D? Or will this become QueenThief after all? (Emma and Neal don't have a kid together so breaking them up actually is an option I'm willing to consider..:P)**

**I'll reread this one tomorrow on spelling and grammar mistakes!**

**x**

**Metope**


	3. Chapter 2

**II**

* * *

When Emma came back from the bathroom, having calmed Regina down and giving her a moment alone to compose herself, she found Cora, Henry, and her parents discussing something with each other that was by the looks of me leading to an argument.

"I am almost a hundred percent sure it is her." Emma heard Cora say.

"Then why didn't she recognize you or Mr. Mills?" David asked.

Cora shrugged. "I don't know, but it is her. She has the same eyes, the same color of skin, the same dark hair..."

"And with her half of this world's latino community." Snow shot back. "The woman didn't recognize you and besides, she is a friend of Emma's. Shouldn't your daughter be much older?"

"Shouldn't Neal be much older too?" Cora shot back.

Emma decided to intervene before things got out of hand. "Hey, what's going on here? What's all the fuzz about?"

"Sheriff Swan, your friend, Regina. I am sure she is our daughter." Cora stated.

"Ah – the – what, why would you think that?" Emma said laughing a little at the sudden statement.

"Because I would recognize my own daughter anywhere, Miss Swan. She has the same hair, and eyes and skin color and her name is Regina too."

Emma tried to come up with a reason why what Cora was saying sounded ridiculous, but then suddenly she realized something. "Regina Mills.." She breathed. "Her last name is Mills...like yours."

"Well that's the first thing I have heard that actually makes this theory sound slightly plausible." Snow stated. "Fact remains that she should be much older, and that it's weird that she doesn't recognize you."

"Our daughter was five when we lost her, it's perfectly possible that she doesn't recognize us anymore." Henry, who hadn't said anything up until now, brought into the conversation.

"I might be able to solve the age problem." Neal now said, he had gone out with Regina's son Henry for a while and had now come back, leaving the kid with Archie again, for it seemed the boy was very fond of dogs.

"And how is that?" David asked.

"Well, you all know how I have spent several years in Neverland before I came to this world, right?" When everyone nodded he continued. "Well I stayed there for many years, and one day, a new lost child arrived, a girl, about five years old. She stated she had fallen through a purple hole in the ground because of a scary man. I quickly found out that it probably had been one of the magic beans. She stayed with us and the lost boys for many years, she quickly became friends with the fairies and they sometimes took her to this world so she could observe it. She was a very curious girl and for some reason she always got the fairies to take there, even though it's actually not allowed to do so. Well, to make a long story short, one night the fairies didn't come back with her, they said she had wanted to stay behind to find a new father and mother. Apparently, every time she had gone over to this land she had been observing parents with their children, and one night she had decided to stay behind. I begged the fairies to go get her, but they said they wouldn't do that, it was against the rules to take a child to Neverland when it didn't want to be here. It was a couple of years later that I decided to leave Neverland as well. And then I met the girl again, she was 13 now and her name was Regina.."

It was silent for a while after Neal's story and then all of them started to speak at the same time.

"You have got to be kidding me." "And you didn't think the story of that girl sounded familiar to the story we told you about our daughter?" "Why didn't you say anything?" "Then does she know about the Enchanted Forest and about magic?" "Neal, you can be such an ass."

"Hey!" Neal said, raising his voice to silence the others. "In my defense. I left the foster home a year before Regina did, I didn't see her anymore after that, I didn't think of her anymore. It's only now that I saw her that I connected the dots. And no she doesn't remember anything of the Enchanted Forest _or_ Neverland. I don't know why that is, maybe she has just forgotten, or maybe the people in this land have forced her to forget, maybe she thinks it has all been one of the weirdest dreams she's ever had, I don't know...but she doesn't remember. I have tried to talk about it with her in the foster home, hinting at it, sometimes directly addressing Neverland, but she would always look at me with a face clearly expressing she thought I had gone crazy. She doesn't remember, I am sorry. But the point is, that this Regina could very well indeed be your daughter then."

"And you are sure the five year old Regina you met in Neverland is the same one as this Regina?" Emma asked and Neal nodded.

"Yes I am very sure of that. I will never forget those dark eyes and there are only a few people that can be as stubborn as she."

Emma smiled at that, Neal was right, if Regina wanted to have something done, she wouldn't stop before she had gotten it exactly how she wanted. "Well then," she said while she turned her attention back to Cora and her husband. "Is there any way to tell it is your daughter for sure? Something in her appearance that is a little more specific than 'dark hair and eyes'?"

"She has a scar on her upper lip." Henry now said. "She got it when she was very young from the dog of one of our neighbors. It never disappeared."

"I don't know about a scar, it's too long ago that I have seen her." Neal said and Emma nodded, she had the same problem. "Well we can check that when she gets back from the bathroom." Emma said.

"I don't want to spoil anything." Snow now piped up. "But what are you planning on doing when it turns out it actually is your daughter?"

To this neither Cora nor Henry had an answer. "I am not sure." Cora stated. "I – We first need to get to know her again I think. She has obviously been through a lot already."

"That's it?" Neal asked. "You're just going to _get to know her_?"

"Well what do you suggest we do else, mister Cassidy? It's not like we can go to her and say 'Hey we are your long lost parents from the enchanted forest. We cast a curse in order to get here and find you again.' That would be ridiculous." Cora snapped.

"Well I'm sorry, Madam Mayor." Neal started. "I just -." But what he just wanted he couldn't say for Emma shushed him. "Regina is coming back." She said quickly. "Think of a change of subject right now." She hissed and then walked over to Regina who was coming their way.

"Hey." Emma said smiling to Regina and noticing that there was indeed a scar on her upper lip. "Well you look a little better already. I was just about to talk to Granny to get you and your son a room. But instead I will introduce you to my parents, and our Mayor first." And with that Emma took Regina by the arm and led her to the booth they were sitting.

"Everyone, this is Regina Mills." Emma said, feeling a little awkward considering the fact everyone already knew.

"Regina these two are my parents, Mary Margaret and David, this is Mister Mills and this is his wife and also our Mayor, Cora Mills and well that is Neal, but him you already know of course." Emma concluded while Regina was politely shaking everyone's hand and then sent an amicable smile towards Neal.

"Nice to meet everyone." Regina then spoke. "I am sorry for my rather turbulent entrance. It isn't how I normally introduce myself, I can assure you." She joked. "Where is Henry?" She then asked turning to Neal.

"Over there with Dr. Hopper and his dog Pongo." Neal answered and Regina nodded in response. "The past few months he is into dogs, I shouldn't be surprised." She said with a smile.

"Well, there isn't a nicer dog than Pongo, so I think that will be alright then." Emma said. "I'm going to arrange a room for you now." She then said.

"Come sit here Regina." Neal said pointing at the still empty seat next to him, for Cora and Henry had decided to sit down next to the Charmings. Regina nodded, happy she could sit down next to someone she knew. Neal saw her fidgeting with her hands which meant she wasn't feeling comfortable.

"So tell me, when are you due, lady?" He asked and he pointed at her belly.

"I'm about 16 weeks along now, so another 5 months to go." She answered.

"And everything is going fine so far?" Snow asked.

"Yes, yes. Everything is going perfect. I'm feeling fine and Henry is taking it fairly well too. He is possibly even more excited than I am." she smiled, at that very moment the five year old came running towards his mother.

"Mommy, you are back." He said happily while he climbed on his mother's lap. "Are you not sad anymore?" He then asked, while his hands softly touched her face, as if he was checking if there weren't any tears in her eyes or falling down her cheeks anymore.

"No Henry, everything is okay." Regina softly said while she took his hands from her face and softly pressed a kiss to both of them. "Why were you crying?" He continued. "Was it because you missed daddy again? When is daddy coming back? He has been gone for a long time now."

"Henry, do you remember what I have told you about daddy?" Regina said, her voice sounding sad again at her son's questions. The boy nodded.

"Yes that daddy had an accident with his car and that now he is a star in the sky. Like the grandma of Peter from my class is. But I still think he needs to come back." The boy continued just when Regina thought that he had remembered again that his father wasn't coming back. "Because he needs to take care of us, and of my new baby brother too."

Regina, not wanting to explain to Henry again that his father was dead, that he wasn't going to come back, with all these people she barely knew only inches away, took Henry's last words to change the subject. "Well, but it could be girl too, you know. Then you would have a sister, not a brother."

Henry wrinkled his nose. "But girls are stupid." He huffed. "I want a brother."

"Well, we'll just have to wait to see if that is going to happen. But it could just as well be a girl." Regina patiently explained.

"Then you should send it back, and tell that I – that Henry wants a brother and not a sister. O mommy can I go play with the dog of Doctor Hopper again?" The boy then asked, and Regina smiled, his five year old mind was so easily distracted, and she found that to be rather convenient at times like this.

"If Doctor Hopper is alright with that, you can. But be careful, a dog is still a living animal, and if Doctor Hopper doesn't agree you come back okay?"

"Yes mommy." Henry agreed while he slid down from her lap and ran off to the Dalmatian again.

When he was gone Regina sighed and leaned her head in her hands. "He doesn't understand." She sighed when she felt Neal's arm on her back, trying to comfort her.

"What – What has happened to your husband if I may ask?" Cora now asked carefully.

Regina lifted her head from her hands to look at the Mayor. "He – uhm – my husband died in a car accident four months ago. He was driving home, and it was raining pretty hard, and I had asked him to hurry up, and I don't know how, it must have been the rain, but he didn't see a truck coming from his right and well, he crashed against it...he was dead in an instant the doctors said." Regina said, she was fidgeting again and her eyes were now focused on her hands while she felt how Neal was rubbing circles on her back in reassurance. "I tried to explain it to Henry, but he is still so young. He doesn't understand what death means. From time to time he keeps asking when his daddy comes back, and every time again I have to tell him that his father is never going to come back again." Regina let out a shaky sigh. "I am sorry" She then said and she lifted her head again to look at the people listening to her. "It's all still...fresh..I am having a hard time explaining all of it every time again, although it does get easier."

Regina felt how the Mayor, Cora was her name she remembered, softly placed her hand on hers over the table. "It is okay, dear. Emma mentioned that you came here to escape for a while, and well, as she said already, this is the perfect place for that."

Regina smiled softly at the woman's kind words. "Thank you Madam Mayor. I'm very grateful for that."

"So what is it you are up to now, Gina?" Neal now asked to lighten the mood.

"Uhm..well I haven't been working since I got Henry." Regina said. "My husband..he was a politician and it wasn't really necessary for me to work..and uhm..he rather saw that I would stay home to take care of Henry. So I stopped working..before that I worked at a bank. I have to find a job now again, however my pregnancy is kind of standing in the way of that right now." Regina said with a smile.

"Were you planning on working at a bank again?" Neal asked. "How long are you staying anyways?"

Regina shrugged. "Well Henry's school starts in September, it's summer break now. So I have to be back in September at the very least. And I don't really know what kind of work I want to do after. My husband...he left us enough so that I am able to not work for a while, to take care of Henry and the baby for a while, and I will just see what comes on my path by then, I guess."

"A bank, didn't you always want to become a teacher or something?" Emma now asked while she joined them at the booth again. "Your room is fixed by the way." Emma said while handing Regina the key of her room.

"Thanks Em." Regina smiled. "A music teacher, yes. But that...didn't work out."

"Why?" Emma asked. "It was like your sole purpose when you left the foster home, becoming a music teacher.

"I met Leo, my husband, shortly after I left." Regina explained. "And he got me this job at the bank, saying I had the brains for it, so that's what I started doing instead. I do still play the piano, just not for a living."

"Ah yes, _Leo_ that was his name." Emma exclaimed. "I couldn't think of it anymore. I had heard about him because you got married at such a ridiculously young age, what was it? 21, 22?"

"23." Regina said softly.

"Yes that was it. I could _never_ have married at that age. But some people just know, I guess."

"I guess." Regina said timidly, and no one but Cora saw how Regina's face had saddened with a different sadness than when she spoke about her late husband's passing.

* * *

Regina had slept great for the first in a long time and when she saw Henry lying in the small bed on the other end of the room he too had had a good night, for he was still sleeping and it was 7:30 already. With a sigh she got out of bed and walked over to the sleeping bundle to wake up her son.

"Hey there little man. It's time to wake up." She said softly and she smiled at the soft mumbling that escaped his lips while he woke up. Then suddenly his brown eyes opened and when he saw his mother hovering above him a wide smile appeared on his face.

"Hi mommy." He said.

"Hi Henry. Did you sleep well?" She asked while she went to sit next to him and pulled him on her lap. The boy nodded while he rest his head against her. "I had the bestest dream about cars and dogs." He explained pulling a serious face.

"Oh that sounds as the best dream indeed." Regina answered correcting him while doing so.

"The best?" Henry asked, noticing his mother had said something different from him.

Regina nodded. "Yes, good, goes to better goes to best." She explained.

"Okay. I will try to remember." Henry replied. "Mommy, can we go have breakfast?" He after his stomach made a rumbling sound.

Regina laughed. "First we have to get you under the shower and get dressed and then we can go have breakfast downstairs."

* * *

"I'm a plane!" Henry yelled while he ran of the stairs towards the diner. "A plane that needs food!" He continued

"Henry don't run on the stairs!" Regina called after him while she too made her way down.

"The plane has already left the stairs, mommy!" Henry replied and Regina couldn't help but laugh at her sons answer. "It's going to the – omphf."

Regina quickly made her way further down the stairs when she heard that 'oompf' sound coming from her son. When she entered the diner she saw her son standing in front of a man dressed in a formal suit, holding cane.

"You should be more careful boy." The man said in a not unkind voice, but the man didn't sound very heartfelt either.

Henry, taken aback a little by the strange man he had bumped into said nothing but just stared up at the man. "I am very sorry for my son's behaviour sir." Regina intervened while she quickly walked over to Henry and took his hand. "He wasn't looking where he was going and he will make sure he does in the future, right Henry?"

The boy nodded. "I am sorry sir." He said, just like his mother had taught him to do when he needed to apologize.

"It is okay young..."

"Henry." Regina answered. "This is my son Henry, I am Regina. Regina Mills." She continued.

For a moment Regina thought she saw some sort of recognition mirrored in the man's eyes, but it was gone just as quick and the man simply shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. I am mister Gold." The man replied. "Are you staying here with just your son?"

"Yes." Henry answered before Regina could. "It's just me, my mom and my baby brother. Because my daddy is a star in heaven." Regina suppressed a sigh at her son's words, she really had to go over this with her son again soon.

"O I am so sorry to hear that. My condolences." Mr. Gold said to Regina, who smiled politely. "Well I won't hold you two up any longer. I hope to see you around in town, Miss Mills."

"Thank you mister Gold. It was a pleasure meeting you." Regina replied, although she didn't think so at all. She didn't feel comfortable around the man at all.

"O believe me Miss Mills, the pleasure is all mine." The man replied with a gallant smile before leaving. The plans for his morning had changed, he would first visit Cora, Gold thought, seeing if she knew about this new arrival in town too.

* * *

**I realize this chapter is kind of a filler, but it needed to be written, to lay some sort of foundation for the rest of this story. I will try to update as soon as possible to provide with a more eventful chapter ****!**

**As for the shipping issue, I'm not exactly going to tell you what I have decided upon, but I wanted to let you know it will ****not**** be either SwanQueen or ThiefQueen. I am very sorry, I have thought long and hard about it but for this story neither of them seem right.**

**However**** I promise you all that my next stories will be a SQ and a ThiefQueen one to make it up to you. Is that okay ****? (and maybe a Hooded Queen after episode 19...speaking of which DID YOU ALL SEE THAT ****HORRIBLE**** PROMO? I DIED...I REALLY DID...Something in me wants to do something with what we saw...write a one shot about it or something..but I'm not sure if I should XD...)**

**Well anyways:**

**PLEASE read and review because they make me happy and they help me deciding which way to go with this story ****!**

**x**

**Metope**


	4. Chapter 3

**III**

Their daughter was in Storybrooke. They had found her. Regina…Cora had known the moment she had laid eyes on the woman entering the diner. Her features resembling the ones of her husband in so many ways, but her jaw line just as strong as her own. It hurt Cora to see that her daughter was so broken at the moment. She felt there was more to Regina's sadness than just the loss of her husband. When she had talked about him to Emma she had seen a certain distance in Regina's eyes she couldn't really place.

"What are you doing dearest?" Henry asked when he entered the living room seeing his wife sitting in a chair staring blankly into nothing with a smile on her face.

"Oh I was thinking about Regina." Cora said and she stood up to walk over to her husband. "I am so glad we have found her Henry." She said softly and she smiled as her husband took her in a loving embrace. Their marriage had suffered under the loss of their daughter, but it had improved during the curse while they hadn't known what they had missed.

"I would want to run over to her right now, take her in my arms, tell her I'm her mother, that we are her parents and never let her go again." Cora sighed.

Henry nodded in agreement. "It will be alright, darling." He continued when he heard a small sob leave his wife's lips. "It kills me to see her like this. Even though I hardly know her, this Regina, this grown up woman. It kills me to see her so sad. It kills me to see how she has to explain to Henry that his father is dead, and how her other child will never even know its father."

"She will get through it. She is our daughter remember, she is strong, she has your strength, grandma Cora." Henry teased.

Cora laughed at the title. "Don't you ever call me that again. It's funny though, how she has named her son after you unconsciously probably."

"I feel very honoured." Henry smiled in his wife's hair. "I hope she will unconsciously call the new child Cora then if it's a girl."

Cora laughed at that. "I hope she doesn't, it isn't a very pretty name."

"It is to me." Henry replied and Cora smiled once again, feeling extremely comforting while Henry was still holding her.

* * *

"Hey!" Emma said happily when she saw Henry and Regina having breakfast in the diner.

"Hi miss Emma." Henry yelled when he saw the blonde walking towards them.

"Hey there little monster. You can just call me Emma, you know, drop the title."

"Okay, Emma." Henry answered while he put another piece of pancake in his mouth.

"Hi Emma." Regina said smiling.

"Hey, well you sure look a whole lot better than you did yesterday." Emma stated while she plumped down in the booth next to Regina.

"Well thanks I guess. I had a good night sleep for the first time since ages."

"Me too." Henry stated.

"Well, I am glad to hear that, kid." Emma laughed. "Hey what would you say about spending the day with my friend Ruby over there so me and your mom can do boring adult things all day?"

Henry looked over to the brunette Emma was pointing at. "Does she like dogs and cars?" He then asked.

"She likes dogs a lot, and she has a really cool red car, so I think she likes cars too." Emma answered.

"Then I thinks I would like that. She has red hair, that is cool." He then looked over to his mother. "Mommy can I stay with Ruby today?"

"Uhm..I...Emma you really don't have to..."

"Nonsense. I took the day off for this, as did Neal. So we can give you a relaxing and problem free day, which you need, very very much."

"But.." Regina started.

"Ah mommy please? Can I please go play with Ruby?" Henry pouted, and of course Regina couldn't refuse his brown puppy eyes and she gave in.

"Well alright then."

"Yay." Both Emma and Henry cheered and Regina shook her head at the two. "You're horrible Emma."

"No I am not, I'm the best friend ever." Emma smiled while she gestured towards Ruby that she could come to pick Henry up.

"Hey Henry, I'm Ruby." The brunette said in a happy voice.

"Hi. Emma says you like dogs and that you have a cool car."

Ruby laughed. "I do have a cool car indeed. Wanna come and check it out?"

"Kay." Henry said and he made his way out of the booth and was about to walk with Ruby when he rememberd he had forgotten something. Quickly he ran back to the booth Emma and his mother were still sitting. "Bye mommy." He said and he pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek and then took off again.

"God, you have the most adorable, sweet, smart, cute five year old I have ever seen." Emma sighed while she watched the boy follow Ruby.

Regina smiled. "He is my little knight. I don't know what I would do without him."

"Well you're about to find out. Because you won't see him until the end of the day." Emma said while she got up from her seat. "Now come, it's seriously a beautiful day, so Neal and I decided to show you this little town."

"O I feel honoured, miss Swan." Regina said jokingly and it that very moment Emma felt a shiver run down her spine at how much Regina calling her miss Swan sounded like Cora.

* * *

Cora and Henry were peacefully enjoying the weather on their daily walk through the Storybrooke Park when their attention was caught by the sound of happy and loud laughter and loud music. "Who on earth could that be?" Cora said slightly annoyed.

Henry shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Yes it does. This music is too loud; it's against the town law." She stated firmly as she started walking in the direction the sound was coming from. The annoyed line that were Cora's lips changed into a surprised smile the moment she saw who were those 'rude people violating the law'.

There in the grass sitting on a travelling rug were the sheriff, Neal playing on a guitar _and_ Regina. Who was leaning against the trunk of the tree they were sitting under, laughing carefree and happy at Emma who was probably telling some ridiculous joke.

Neal was the first to notice the Mayor and her husband coming their way, so he politely waved at them. Cora sent him a nod and a smile in response while Emma got up from the grass.

"Madam Mayor, did you need me for anything? I took the day off to show Regina our town, David is filling in for me."

"Oh no sheriff, I didn't come here to get you for anything. I was just wondering who was responsible for the rather loud music I heard." Cora said with a soft smile.

"O that would have been me with my guitar." Neal said.

"So I see. Just, try to keep it down a little more? There are other citizens too who might want to enjoy this day in a more quite state."

Emma rolled her eyes almost unnoticeably but then nodded.

"Well then, have a nice continuation of your day." Cora said. "O and Regina, I hope you will like our small town."

"I do, madam mayor." Regina said with a polite smile. "Emma and Neal have shown me all the great places you can find in this town. You have a very beautiful town here madam Mayor."

Cora smiled in response after which she turned around and resumed her walk together with her husband.

"Well that was weird." Emma said while she and Neal plumped down next to Regina in the grass again.

"Oh, I don't think so. We were being rather loud, it's probably even against the town law, you should know that Emma." Regina teased causing her to be softly punched by Emma.

"And how is it _you_ do know about the town law, miss Mills? Anyways..that's not what I meant, what was weird was that she didn't send us away. She seemed….soft….tolerant dare I say it."

"Well that might be because she didn't expect us three in particular to be the cause of this violation." Neal laughed.

"Because Emma is the sheriff?" Regina asked.

"Uhm, yeah.." Neal said, although he meant that Cora was probably softer because it was her own daughter sitting with them.

"So tell me. How did you two find each other again, and how did you find your parents?" Regina said.

"Uhm well…" Emma started. "About a year ago I got a job offer to start here as a deputy sheriff. A friend of mine, August, had requested it. Once I got here he told me how he had found out that my parents were here, and although I didn't believe him at first, it turned out he was right. And then I went with Mister Gold to go look for his long lost son, and his son turned out to be Neal." Emma concluded, quite content with this version of the almost-truth.

Regina nodded. "Your parents do seem awfully young to be…your parents." Regina remarked.

"Uhm…no…well…it's the fresh air here I guess that makes them look so young." Emma said while she turned a little red, and she was happy to see Regina's eyes glow over with a slight fog for just a second, meaning that the spell that Rumplestiltskin had cast on the town to prevent strangers from starting to wonder about slight inconsistencies as the age of Emma's parents, did its work.

"O, ok." Was all Regina said.

Emma smiled, she actually wanted to ask about what Regina's life had been like these past years, but she knew that talking about her past would not be good for Regina's rather good mood at this moment, so she didn't. Instead she grabbed the guitar from Neal's lap and tried to play a song.

Regina laughed. "My god, I didn't know someone could be _so_ tone deaf."

Emma pouted. "Well then you show me how it's done, if you are such a musical wonder."

"I can't. I don't know how to play a guitar." Regina laughed. "However, if Neal wants to play, I'll sing you a little song, just like I used to do, okay?"

"Yes you do that." Emma said while she clapped childishly in her hands.

"That's what you did when we were little too." Regina laughed.

"I know, that's why I did it. You didn't really think the 28 year old adult me would clap in her hands when someone told her she would sing her a song?"

"Well, I don't know...it's you we are talking about after all." Regina teased which earned her a rain of grass to fall on her head, sprinkled on her by Miss Emma Swan herself.

* * *

**So I decided to end this chapter here because it felt right. However I ****promise**** you I'll be back with another chapter before Saturday ****! Hope to have it done tomorrow actually because I already have half of it.**

**Btw, if this chapter contains any very weird grammar mistakes or typos: I have been watching a big interview with the future king and queen of my country (the coronation will be April 30****th****) and was fangirling over them while writing this, so I blame the king and queen ****! (O my god I feel like a character from Once Upon A Time while writing this, lol xD)!**

**Please read and review… and about the shipping issue….I have made my decision, however I just finished a non-romantic QueenThief ff, and will create a ****real**** QueenThief FF as the follow up of this one **

**X**

**Metope**


	5. Chapter 4

**IV**

* * *

**_6 years ago_**

"_Leo?"_

"_Hm?" He didn't look up from the newspaper he was reading, but she decided to take his reaction as a sign that he was listening._

"_My boss offered me a promotion."_

_No reaction. She frowned, maybe he wasn't listening to her after all, she decided to continue anyways. "I can work at another department in the bank, I would have to work full time, but that's okay.I get paid a lot more as well."_

_Now he looked up from his newspaper. "I'm sorry dearest, I think I didn't hear you right? What was it you said?" He continued before she could answer. "Because I thought you said that you are an ungrateful bitch who isn't satisfied with what her husband gives her. Who not only needs to __work__ in order to keep herself busy, but apparently also thinks she needs a raise because apparently she doesn't get enough from her husband."_

"_No..Leo..that is not what I meant. You give me everything I want..it's just…they offered it to me and..well I thought, extra money is never a bad thing right?"_

"_They don't just offer people a promotion. You must have asked for it."_

"_No they didn't." She whispered and she regretted her words immediately when he got up from his chair and walk over to her. _

"_Well then you must have slept with the boss or something. Is that it? Did you cheat on me too?" And he grabbed her wrists when she tried to back away. She shook her head heavily._

"_No, no of course not Leo. I would never do that. I have you. You are my husband. I belong to you."_

"_Exactly."He growled. "You belong to me. I am the man in this household, I bring in the money. You are supposed to stay here, take care of the children we don't have because you seem to be unable to give me one. We have been married for four years now and we still don't have any children. Do you know how that makes me look? Like a loser, that's how, how will the people ever vote for me if I don't have a real family, they won't be able to identify with me. I suggest you focus on that task first, that is your sole purpose at this very moment, __**that**__ should be your priority before you dream about getting a promotion. You will decline that promotion first thing tomorrow, do you understand me?" She felt how his grip on her wrists tightened to emphasize his words._

_She nodded. "Yes Leo."_

"_Good. Then be a good girl now and come with me. We should work on that first priority of yours."_

"_Yes Leo." She said while she followed him to their bedroom, tears stinging behind her eyes._

* * *

Regina woke up with a start, she sighed when she realized where she was: At Granny's, safe. She looked over to Henry who was still sleeping and a smile appeared on her face. She would let him sleep a little longer and shower first, he had had a busy day the day before.

They had been in Storybrooke for three weeks now, and Regina was glad she had decided to come here. Emma and Neal did everything to take her mind off of the dark months that now lay in the past and Henry too seemed to enjoy his time here. He had made some friends at the playground, and yesterday he even was invited to the birthdayparty of one of the kids. He hadn't talked or asked about his father these past weeks either. Maybe he finally understood now, she sure hoped so.

The warm water of the shower was nice to her back, which had been hurting for a few days now due to her growing belly. She lovingly put a hand to her belly, feeling the child moving. This child sure was a miracle. It was a miracle, it was unexpected, it was frightening, it was beautiful, it was….a mistake? No. It was not a mistake.

When she left the bathroom again, dressed in a simple red dress that fell loosely over her belly she saw that Henry was awake, patiently waiting for her on his bed, with his clothes already on.

"Look mommy, I got myself dressed." He said happily.

"Well, aren't you a big boy." Regina said with a smile. "However, didn't you forget something?"

When a pair of brown eyes looked at her questioningly she pointed at the bathroom. "But I took a shower yesterday evening already. Before I went to sleep." The boy pouted.

Regina nodded. "I know dear, but it couldn't hurt to at least wash your face? Do I need to help you?"

Henry shook his head and quickly made his way to the bathroom. "No I can do it myself."

"That's my boy."

"Mommy?" He asked when he came back. "How come daddy still isn't back?"

Regina's good mood was gone in an instant, she sighed. "Henry come sit with me." But the boy shook his head.

"No." He said stubbornly.

Regina raised an eyebrow and she saw him turn red a little because he knew very well not to talk like that to his mother. "Why don't you want to come here then, Henry?" Regina asked calmly.

"Because you are going to tell me about daddy and the stars again. But I don't want to hear about that. I just want to know when daddy comes back again."

"But Henry. Your father is…"

"dead. That is what my friend Peter says, and you say it too. But that's not true!" He stamped his foot to the ground as his face turned even redder.

Regina now got up from the bed and kneeled down in front of Henry – her big belly making that rather difficult. "Why do you think that is not true Henry? Do you know what dead means?"

Henry nodded. "Dead is when you are not alive. It is when you are not here anymore. When your heart doesn't work anymore, when you do not breathe anymore, and then you are gone."

Regina nodded. "That is what happened to daddy too."

Henry shook his head and Regina frowned, tears stinging behind her eyes at the sight of her confused and above all angry little boy. "No that is not true! I have never heard about a daddy who is dead. All daddy's always live. Only old people die. Old people and hamsters. I don't know one story about a daddy who dies, or a mommy who dies."

And finally Regina understood. "But sometimes Henry…sometimes people don't die because they are old, but they die because something happened to them that causes their heart to stop working. Like with your daddy, with the car accident. His heart stopped working, and the doctors couldn't fix his heart, and that is how he died." Regina explained again and she was trying her hardest not to cry at the sight of her son with tears in his eyes and a trembling lower lip. She had to stay strong.

"But that is not fair." He sobbed, she tried to pull him in a hug but he still didn't allow her to touch him. "I know honey, I know that isn't fair." She said instead. "And it isn't supposed to happen, but sometimes it does. And you have to try to accept it. And you can be sad about that, but the thing is. He isn't really gone, because you still have him here, in your heart." And she placed a hand softly on his body where his heart was beating.

But Henry set a step back and shook his head. "No it's not fair, it's not fair!" He yelled. "Everyone has a daddy! Everyone at Peter's party has a daddy and I don't! It is not true, my daddy is not dead. He has to come back, he has to! You are a liar!" He yelled.

"Henry." Regina now said in a firmer tone, she had to intervene before this would end in a tantrum. "Calm down. I don't want you to speak to me in that way."

"Liar! My daddy is not dead, you are a liar!" He yelled while tears were rolling down his face.

"Henry, stop it!" Regina said her voice harder now.

But the boy shook his head. "Liar!" He yelled again, and when Regina wanted to grab his arm to calm him down he backed away again, ran to the door and ran out of the apartment.

"Henry! Come back!" But she heard his little feet running down the stairs.

"Damn it." She cursed while she was miserably failing in getting up quickly because of her belly being 'obstacle number one'. She didn't wear any shoes but she didn't care as she made her way to the door. Quickly she headed for the stairs, feeling panic taking over as she realised that he could easily walk through the - at this early hour still rather empty- diner without getting noticed, and then run to god knows where in Storybrooke.

"Henry!" She yelled again, hoping he was still in the diner, and she quickened her pace down the stairs. In her panic missing one of the steps, slipping and therefore sliding rather than walking down the last four steps of the stairs while she desperately held on to the handrail in order to protect her belly and baby. When she tried to get up at the bottom of the stairs she fell down with a cry of pain again the moment she tried to put weight on her left foot. "Shit." She cursed as she tried to get up, but without any luck, a sprained ankle and being 19 weeks pregnant didn't go well together with getting up from a floor. Tears of frustration streamed down her face.

When she tried to get up a second time she suddenly felt two strong hands helping her get up, and when she looked up she saw a pair of kind dark eyes stare at her. "Thank you Mister Mills." She breathed, quickly wiping away the tears of her face. "My son, he ran off, and I couldn't go after him quickly enough because of all this." She gestured at her belly. "And then I fell down the stairs and now I think I sprained my ankle and my son has run away and I have to find him because he is upset and.." She stopped rambling when the man held up his hand.

"It is okay Regina – is it okay for me to call you Regina?" He continued when she nodded. "My wife and I tend to come here rather early every morning. Granny and Miss Lucas were still in the back when suddenly a very upset little boy entered the diner. We heard you call after him from upstairs, so my wife took care of him. When he heard the sound of someone falling we figured you might need some help. So don't worry, your son is right here in the diner. Now we have to worry about you first. Did you fall from high? Did you hurt anything else than your ankle? Do we need to get you to the hospital to check on your baby?"

Regina shook her head to all these questions. "No thank you Mister Mills, everything is alright, it's just my ankle."

"Please call me Henry."

"Henry?" Regina asked surprised.

The man smiled at her again, and Regina didn't know why, but she felt extremely at ease. There was some sort of peace and quiet radiating from the man that calmed her down. "Now, do you think you can walk to the diner with my help?"

Regina nodded, and she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relieve when she indeed saw Henry sitting next to the Mayor in a booth, drinking a strawberry milkshake. He stopped drinking when his mother sat down in front of them with the help of Mr. Mills.

"Mommy what happened?" He asked with fear in his eyes.

"I fell down the stairs, Henry. Nothing serious."

Tears welled up in his eyes again. "Are you going to die now too?" He asked in a small voice while he moved past Cora and quickly went to sit next to his mother wrapping his small arms around her as well as he could.

"No Henry, of course not." Regina said in a soothing voice.

"But you had an accident, and when you have an accident you die." He sobbed.

"No honey, only when you have an accident that is really really bad. Then it is possible that _sometimes_ you die."

Henry was quite for a while. "Like when you fall in the water but you can't swim."

Regina nodded. "Yes that is a possibility. It's why I don't want you to come near the water until you know how to swim."

"But Henry?" Regina started, and by the way she felt his body tense a little, she knew he knew what she was about to say.

"I don't want you talking to me like that again. Do you understand?" She continued softly touching his chin with her hand, forcing him to look at her. "And you cannot _ever_ run away from me like that! I was very worried about you. Do you understand that?"

The boy nodded, and she saw in his eyes that he really regretted his actions. "I am sorry mommy." He said in a small voice. Regina responded by pressing a kiss to his cheek and pulling him a little on her lap. "Now, and then we need to do one more thing here." She said but before she had to explain Henry already knew as he looked up to Cora, who had been quietly sitting on the other side of the booth with her husband, observing the interaction between mother and son.

"Thank you very much for the milkshake Mrs. Mills." Henry said politely. "And I am very sorry that I said you were stupid."

"Henry!" Regina scolded.

But Cora smiled. "You are welcome Henry, and it's okay. Apology accepted, I understand you didn't mean to say that and that you were really upset."

"That still doesn't justify him calling you that. I am very sorry." Regina said with a frown.

"It is okay." Cora repeated. "Now, young man. Do you see that coin over there?" Cora asked Henry and she pointed at a coin that was lying on the ground next to the bar. Henry nodded. "I let it fall earlier, and now it seems like it is glued to the ground, because I seem to be unable to pick it up. Could you try for me? If you manage to pick it up, you can keep it." Henry's face cleared up at that and he nodded. "Okay." He said happily and he quickly ran over to the coin.

"It's a little joke, that coin has been there for as long as I can remember." Cora explained to Regina. "But it keeps him busy and it gives us the time to talk a little."

"I am very sorry about what he said, Mrs Mills." Regina started again but Cora interrupted her in a gentle voice.

"I don't want to talk about your son Regina. I want to talk about you."

Regina frowned a little and her mouth formed a confused 'oh'.

"Because you see, you cannot continue like this. You are pregnant and you have a five year old son who is being a five your old by throwing a tantrum occasionally and being dynamic and sometimes a little hyperactive. You just lost your husband and I doubt that that pain is the only thing you tried to escape from when you came here, but the thing is. You have to start looking after yourself. That room at Granny's, that is no place for you and your son to stay. You have to share one room with each other at all times there. And of course it is good that you take such good care of your son, but it's also important that you take care of yourself."

Regina was slightly taken aback by the way the Mayor was talking to her. From other people she had heard that the mayor was a reserved and rather cold and distant woman, but too Regina she seemed none of these things. "But Emma and Neal sometimes take me out to do something nice, and Henry can sometimes stay with Ruby…" Regina started to protest, but Cora shook her head and interrupted her once again.

"No let me finish. Dear Regina, you fell down the stairs only this morning. You need help, now you have also sprained your ankle, how do you plan on looking after that bomb of energy that is your son? So here is what we are going to do. My husband and I, we have busy lives, I am the mayor of this town, my husband has his job, so that means we aren't home very often during the day. We live in a large house down the road, I'm sure you have seen it. I suggest you and your son move in with us in our guestroom. You and your son can both have your own room, so you will have some privacy, and we can keep an eye on the two of you too."

"O but Mrs. Mills –"

"Please call me Cora."

"But Cora." Regina continued. "That is very kind of you, and I appreciate the gesture very much, but I couldn't possibly accept such an offer."

"Why not?" Henry now asked.

"Because…because we would be a burden to the two of you. As you said yourself, my son isn't exactly the most quiet five year old. And I am pregnant which brings its own range of complications. That would be too much of you to ask."

"Of course you won't be a burden to us." Cora answered. "Don't be ridiculous. We don't just ask anyone to stay at our house. We have thought all of this through very well. And tell me dear, how were you planning on climbing up that stairs in a couple of weeks from now? You'll only get bigger and that stairs isn't exactly the most safe and easy thing to climb, let alone chase after your son with an eight or nine months pregnant belly

Regina sighed staring at her fidgeting hands, Cora had a point. She herself had thought about the steep staircase being a problem too. She had trouble getting up and down the stairs now already, and she had to admit, a little help wouldn't be too bad.

"Alright then." She said eventually. "But only until the baby comes." When she looked up she stared into the smiling happy faces of Mr. and Mrs. Mills.

"Wonderful." Cora exclaimed. "I will send someone to get all your things from your room and bring them over to our house. Don't worry about that. It will all be taken care of. You two can come with us right now, if you don't have anything planned. I don't have another meeting till this afternoon, so I have the time now to show you around?"

Regina nodded in agreement and just when she wanted to answer she was interrupted by a triumphant cry coming from her son. The three adults looked over to the five year old holding up the coin in his hand. "I got it!" He beamed.

"My god." Mr. Mills said. "That coin has seriously been there for years, no child has ever managed to pick it up. Your son is quite something, Regina."

"That he is indeed." Regina answered with a bright smile.

* * *

**Soooo whaddya think? I would love to hear your thoughts on the flashback-thing I introduced in this chapter and on everything else that happened ****!**

**Please leave a review because they make me happy and thank you all new followers (and old followers too of course) for following this story ;)!**

**X**

**Metope**


	6. Chapter 5

**V**

"O you play the piano?" Regina asked surprised when Cora showed her the living room of the mansion, and she saw the beautiful black piano standing there.

Cora shook her head. "No not really, it came with the house when we bought it. Something about the previous owner being musically frustrated. I liked it so I kept it but me nor my husband knows how to play." _And that might also be because I just conjured the instrument through magic, knowing you would love to play_, Cora added to that in her mind.

"I see." Regina replied. "I thought maybe your children once learned how to play...Do you have any children?" She then asked.

Cora frowned a little, not knowing what to answer her but got luckily saved by Henry who came running in the room. "Mommy! I gots a really big room here! Are we going to stay here now?" He asked.

"Yes Henry. Mr. and mrs. Mills have invited us to stay here until the baby is born. So they can help us a little."

Henry nodded in understanding. "Mommy?" He then asked. "Can we go to the playground after lunch?"

Regina frowned. "Well actually Henry, I feel rather tired, maybe later on in the afternoon? I want to sleep a little first."

The boy already opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by Mr. Mills entering the living room. "I could take him there?"

Regina shook her head. "O but that isn't necessary, Mr. Mills. Henry just needs to learn that he can't always have it his way at all times."

"O but it's such a small thing to do." Mr. Mills answered. "I would like to go with him to the playground really."

"This is why you came to live with us, Regina. So we can help you a little, you said it yourself. So let us help here." Cora now intervened, putting a reassuring hand on Regina's shoulder.

"Please mommy? Can I go with mister Mills to the playground, please?"

"Yes, I guess you can, Henry." Regina gave in.

"Yay!" The boy cheered and as a thank you he ran over to his mother and gave her a hug. "I think it is time for lunch now." He then said.

Regina laughed. "You just say that because you want to go the playground."

The boy nodded. "Yup, and because my stomach says it is hungry." He then added.

"Well let's find you something to eat then." Cora smiled and she took his hand and walked with him to the kitchen.

* * *

"I assume you are going to try to sleep a little now?" Cora asked when Henry and – ironically – Henry had left.

Regina looked up from the plate – she had been studying the flowers that were painted on it, they seemed vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't think of anyone else who had these kind of expensive and probably antique plates. "Yes, I said I would do that, didn't I." She replied.

"But..?"

Regina sighed. "But I don't know..I have been sleeping badly lately, nightmares and silly stuff like that, and I know it isn't real and yet.."

"..it scares you nonetheless." Cora finishes and Regina nods. "Well then.." Cora continued and she stood up to sit down on a chair next to Regina as she took the woman's hands in hers. "..then I suggest you tell me now why it is that you are so upset. Why it is that you came here. And don't tell me it is because of the passing of your husband because that is not all. Of course you can be sad about the loss of your husband, but it has been nearly five months now and every time you talk about it you cry as if it has been three weeks. I see in the way you look and talk about him that there is something else, and I think that is what is bothering you, and maybe it helps if you talk about it with someone who...doesn't know you that well yet and cannot judge you because of that."

Regina quickly pulled her hands out of Cora's at the mayor's words, by the pained and panicked look in her eyes Cora expected her to walk away, but she didn't. Instead she started to fidget with a napkin that was lying on the table, her eyes focusing on her hands, and Cora just waited.

"I messed up." She then said. "I messed up so badly, there is no way back, obviously, so I just try to ignore it, try to act like it didn't happen, but that's impossible too..." Regina's voice trailed off but Cora didn't say anything, sensing Regina would continue when she would.

"Henry is not my husband's son you know...not really." She then said, her eyes were still focused on the napkin in her hands. "He uhm...my husband and I...we were married for four years, and I still wasn't pregnant. He wasn't pleased about that. He was a politician as I said, and he- he said it didn't look good on him to not have a family. But...nevertheless I didn't get pregnant, he said it was my faul,t that I should stop working, that I wasn't _supposed_ to be working, that I should focus on more important things. So I went to the doctor to...check...but I was fine there was nothing wrong with me, so it had to be him. When I started about it he got angry, said I was being ridiculous, that he didn't want to discuss this, that it was _my_ fault, that _I_ had to fix it." She sighs.

"At the time...I didn't want kids...I don't have parents as you know because I met Emma in the foster home...and I thought I would be a bad mother because I didn't really know what it was that a mother does, besides I didn't want to stop working. But eventually I changed my mind and so I went to a sperm bank, behind Leo's back, and that is how I got pregnant. He never knew. I couldn't tell him; if he had known he hadn't treated Henry like his own child...So I never told him, I never told anyone.."

Regina stayed quiet for a while and Cora took that as a sign that she was done talking. "Well dear," she started. "Let me tell you this, you are a wonderful mother, you did a great job raising Henry." Regina smiled a little, her eyes still fixed on her hands. "What made you change your mind? Why go to so much trouble when your husband doesn't want to accept it is him where the problem lies, if you didn't want to have children?"

Regina now looked up for the first time and Cora saw the sadness and the confusion in her eyes. "Because...because it was what Leo wanted. It was what I needed to do for him. I was his wife, I belonged to him and it should have been my first priority...I...he..." She started to stammer, her eyebrows moved closer in a frown as she too, like Cora, realised that what she was saying sounded ridiculous. "I...I...don't know."She stammered. "I just did it. It got worse and worse, he was angry all the time, I thought that if I would be pregnant, if I could give him what he wanted, then things would change. Then he would _change_." A sob escaped the young woman's lips after these words and Cora moved closer to Regina so she could pull the woman into a hug.

"And this child you're carrying now, is it conceived in the same way?" Cora dared to ask and a small sigh escaped her lips when she felt Regina's head shaking 'no'.

"No, this is the part where I really, _really_ messed up." She sobbed.

"You want to tell me?" Cora asked carefully and she received a sarcastic laugh in response. "Well I've told you so much already, and I'm sobbing here already so I could just as well tell you now, so we don't have to go through all of this later again." Regina said and she went to sit up straight again, pulling away from Cora.

She took a deep breath and started to speak, in a more confident voice now. "I was leaving Leo the night he died. I had stayed with him for Henry, I didn't want him to lose a parent. But in the end, I couldn't do it..I had all my and Henry's things packed and I had called Leo to come home so I could try to talk to him one last time. Tell him that if he didn't change, that if things didn't change I would leave. Well, he never made it home and...I felt so extremely guilty at first. If I hadn't called him to tell him to hurry up than maybe he wouldn't have died. And then, I realised that I was free, that he wasn't there anymore to tell me what to do and that realisation together with the guilt I felt and the pain and the anger...it made me confused and I got panic attacks every night when I was alone in that horrible big house. So I started to go to parties with some colleagues from work I still had contact with. I would hire a babysitter for Henry and then go out with them, come back in the early morning. My friends, or actually Leo's friends and his parents of course all talked about it disapprovingly behind my back, I knew that, but I didn't care, it made me want to go out even more. And then one night..." Regina paused and took a deep breath, fixing her eyes on the napkin again.

"One night I met this man, it was about two weeks after Leo died. He wasn't from our city and we started talking, it was really nice. I..had too much to drink and he was just...so nice, so kind, so understanding. Before I knew it I had told him about Leo, about how I felt guilty for his death and he said I shouldn't feel that. We talked until the bar closed, my friends had gone home already. He wanted to bring me home, but I couldn't remember where I lived anymore." Cora observed amused how Regina's cheeks turned red at the confession.

"So eventually he decided to take me home to his hotel room and..." Regina now looked to the woman in front of her again and Cora saw tears in Regina's eyes. "It was so different with him. I had never really talked like that with someone else – with another _man_ – before. Leo would never let me, he was very possessive and this man, he was so different from Leo. He really listened to me, and I felt so incredibly at ease around him, and of course the alcohol helped, but that was not all of it, there was something else...He...it seemed like he cared for me, he didn't hurt me...I remember that we kissed..." Regina paused to swallow back the tears that were trying to fall.

"The next day I totally freaked out, of course. I left before he woke up. Luckily I wasn't too far away from my house, the babysitter had stayed over, apparently he had found her number in my phone and had texted her telling her I couldn't get home due to a traffic accident, although I think she knew perfectly well what had happened. Three weeks later I found out I was pregnant from a man I don't even know the name of...so you could say I messed up pretty badly, and I kind of regret my actions but I am also...I love...it's my baby...Leo's family was furious of course when they found out. Accusing me of being responsible for his death, telling me this was irresponsible. And of course it was but...I don't know...they hadn't been of any support in the weeks after his passing, so I didn't really care about what they said to me. All I knew was that I had to get out of there, and so I came here.." She concluded, one hand unconsciously touching her belly as the other wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes and then suddenly she couldn't keep the tears away at all anymore and she broke down in heavy sobbing.

"O dear girl, you poor girl. It's alright, you just have a good cry, let it all out." Cora soothed Regina while she once again pulled the woman towards her and hold her tight.

"I'm a terrible human being." Regina sobbed. "I wasn't a good wife, I'm not a good mother to Henry. I got knocked up by a man I don't even know and will probably never see again, I don't have a job. I can't go back, everyone hates me there...I have nowhere to go...and I drag Henry into my problems...I feel like I belong nowhere, I feel out of place everywhere..."

"No that's not true." Cora whispered while she gently rubbed soothing circles on Regina's back.

"But it is. And now I'm sitting here, crying. Bothering yet another person with my problems, and I don't even know you that well."

"Now you listen to me Regina." Cora said, her voice a little more firm as she took Regina's head in her hands and forced her to look at her. "You are the best mother Henry could wish. I already said that, but I will say it as many times as I need to convince you. From what I heard about your husband I doubt it that you were a bad wife, it sounds rather like he didn't know what a great wife he had in you and that it was he who was wrong. The fact that you are pregnant now...well I can't argue with you on that, that is indeed not the most ladylike and well considered decision you have made in your life. But you should not feel guilty about what happened to your husband. It is not your fault, and no one _hates_ you. I for instance, I have come to care a great deal about you, as does my husband, as do Neal and Emma, and Mary Margaret and David and Ruby and Dr. Hopper and Granny. They all care for you and your son, and it is time that you except help from other people. You are not alone in this, you have been alone for way to long, and that is going to end right now. Do you understand?"

Regina looked at Cora with confused watery eyes, she opened her mouth to protest but as soon as the 'b' rolled off her lips Cora interrupted her. "No, no 'but'. I will have none of it. It is a good thing you told me all of this. You had to tell this, get it off your heart, and now it is. Don't you feel better now you have told me this."

Regina nodded slightly, her head still between Cora's hands. "There, I already thought so. Now, I think that you'll find sleep much easier now. So I suggest you go take a nap, all this stress can't be good for your child. I will take care of Henry when he gets home."

"Thank you.." Regina said in an unsteady voice.

"You are welcome dear." Cora said and she watched Regina leave the dining room with a smile. A smile that changed quickly after she knew Regina had gone upstairs, as Cora buried her face in her hands and cried. She cried for her daughter who had had such a hard life and was still so broken...this conversation had only mended a few of the thousand shattered pieces that were her daughter...

* * *

**A rather sad chapter once again. I promise the next chapter will be happier and will have Emma and Neal back in the game again ****!**

**Please leave your thoughts in a review ****!**

**x**

**Metope**


	7. Chapter 6

**To the lovely guest reviewer who accused me of story violation because I was 'writing in script form'(it were 6 sentences of texting but whatever) in this chapter and immediately ordered me to delete the ENTIRE fic...I have CHANGED those few sentences you were crying about, so the ENTIRE fic corresponds to th guidelines again...so no need to report anything to anyone dear. And if you would have had the dignity to review this with an account I could have sent you a Dm with this information whereas you're now slightly being humiliated by this comment.**

**have a nice day.**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

**_28 years ago_**

_"Hey there little girl, what are you doing out here all alone?" She stared up at the police officer with big brown eyes._

_"I'm looking for a mommy and daddy." _

_"Oh? So you are lost?"_

_She shook her head. "No, I'm not lost, I'm just...looking for a new mommy and daddy."_

_"What's your name girl?"_

_Never tell anyone your name, Bae always said, and so she shook her head in response._

_"Okay...well, a __new__ mommy and daddy, hm? And where are your old ones then?" The officer asked slightly amused by the girl, wearing worn out jeans and a red t-shirt that was way too big for her, no shoes, dark curls that resting on her shoulders._

_She shrugged. "I don't know. I lost them. I haven't seen them in a long time."_

_The officer frowned at this information. "What have you done in the time they were gone then?"_

_"I was with Bae. He is big, he is fourteen already. He helped me. But I left, because I want a mommy and daddy like the other boys and girl have that live here." Her lips trembled a little as she felt the sad feeling that was always there when she talked about having a father and mother._

_"I see, and how long have you been looking?"_

_She shrugged again. "It has been dark twice."_

_The officer gasped at this information, that would mean she has been out here on her own for three days already. "Where did you sleep then?"_

_"In the trees, like I always do." She replied, thinking the officer was silly asking such a question. With Bae she always slept in trees too, just like the other boys and girls. But maybe they didn't do that here. Her stomach grumbled and her eyes widened a little in embarrassment._

_The officer sent her a kind smile. "Why don't you come with me, I can give you something to eat and a place to sleep for tonight and then tomorrow we will find you a place to stay."_

_"With a mommy and daddy?" She asked warily. _

_"Well, I will do my best to find you a mommy and daddy yes."_

_"Okay. Then I would like to go with you very much, sir. Because I am very hungry, I couldn't find any fruit on the trees. These trees must be sick. Bae says healthy trees always grow fruit."_

_The officer couldn't help but smile at the odd answer of the girl. "And where is it you and this Bae lived then?"_

_"In Neverland." She answered firmly._

_The man laughed while he took her hand and started walking with her towards the station. This Bae was probably an orphan or abandoned homeless child just like this girl here, and he had probably come up with this story to make things seem a little better for her._

_"Neverland, I see. Was Peter Pan there too?"_

_She shook her head as if he had just asked the stupidest question in world history. "No, of course not. Peter Pan left with Wendy ages ago."_

_The officer nodded slowly. "Of course. How could I be so stupid."_

_The girl softly squeezed in his hand. "It's okay. People here don't really know about Neverland. You couldn't know I guess... – Are we there yet? My feet are tired."_

_"You see that building there right in front of us?" He continued when the girl nodded. "That's where we are going, so we're almost there. You think you can walk a little longer or do I need to carry you?"_

_"No, I can walk that far myself." She replied. "But thank you for asking." She added politely. _

_The officer smiled, it wouldn't be hard to find a new home for this girl – if she didn't have parents indeed – this was most definitely the most adorable four or five year old – he wasn't sure – he had ever met._

_"My name is officer Matt, by the way. Do you feel like you can tell me yours already?"_

_The girl looked at him for a while with her big brown eyes. "Well..." She started. "Bae always says you mustn't tell your name to strangers, because they might be evil. But...I don't think your evil...you look nice, and you are helping me to find a new mommy and daddy. So I guess you can now my name." She stopped walking as she pulled her left hand out of his right and then held her right hand out. "Hi officer Matt, I am Regina Mills."_

_Matt laughed at this girl and her perfect manors as he shook her little hand. "Well Regina, your parents have given you a very pretty name." He immediately regretted talking about her parents as he saw the dark brown orbs sadden. _

_"Yes." She says quietly. "Mommy said it means queen..."_

_"Do you miss your mommy?" Matt asked as they continued to walk to the police station._

_"Yes, and my daddy too...but they are gone now."_

_"They are __gone__?" Matt asked carefully._

_The girl looked up at him, he saw tears in her eyes now. "I didn't listen to my mommy, and then things went wrong, and I fell through the purple whirlpool and I tried to get back but there was no way. Bae said the same happened to him, and that he has tried to find a way back for years, but that it is impossible."_

_"A whirlpool?" Was all Matt could ask at that as he now opened the doors to the station to let her in. _

_Regina nodded. "It opened when I let the magic bean fall."_

_Matt sighed, he couldn't follow what the kid was talking about. Obviously she was very confused and had made up some sort of imaginary story to deal with the loss of her parents._

_When they got to his office he sat Regina on a chair as he handed her a sandwich from the cafeteria. While she was eating quietly Matt searched through the computer system for a Mr and Mrs Mills with a daughter named Regina. However he found nothing. He tried again, and again, but nothing came up, confirming his thoughts that this girl had probably lived on the streets for her entire life. _

_Time to call the foster system..._

* * *

_**20 years ago**_

_"Hi, I am Regina Mills, I am 13 years old." The girl stared at her feet while she introduced herself to the other foster kids in the foster home._

_"Hi, Regina, I'm Neal." A boy, about 14 years old, said in a kind voice. When she looked up she saw a hint of surprise she couldn't place in his eyes. _

_"Yeah, hi." She said discouraged. "Nice to meet you." Neal frowned, he had recognized her right away. Those brown eyes, he would never forget them. He was actually a little disappointed that she didn't seem to recognize him. He had arrived here three weeks ago and felt terribly alone, seeing a familiar face was a relieve, if only she had recognized him. She had been very little, only five, when they had last met, but still..._

_"Why don't you have parents?" Another boy now asked, he was about 10 years old. "My parents died, did yours too?" He continued._

_Regina now looked up from her feet to the boy. "I don't know what happened to my parents" She then said. " I was found by a police officer on the streets when I was five. My parents probably dumped me. I've lived with two other families ever since, but I guess I'm not very lucky, because here I am." She said with a sad smile. "I'm sorry your parents died, though."_

_"Unlucky hm?" A teenage girl asked. "Were you labelled as an 'unruly child' too?"_

_Regina shook her head. "Uh..no, not that I know off. It's just, my first family...they..they uhm...I had two moms, if you know what I mean, and the system thought that would be a bad influence on me so they took me from them." Neal saw by the frown that appeared on Regina's face that she was still angry about that. "And the second..." She continued. "The second family wasn't very nice to me..." Neal now noticed how she was wearing a long sleeved shirt while it was summer and about 30C degrees outside, which could only mean one thing._

_The girl laughed sarcastically. "Well that just sucks. I'm Rita by the way. And that nosy little boy there is Jeffrey. Neal already introduced himself."_

_Regina looked back to Neal and sent him a small smile. "And how did you get here Neal?" She asked._

_Before Neal could answer Rita opened her mouth. "Well that's a hilarious story. Mister Neal here thinks he comes from the magical fairy tale world called Neverland. He thinks he's so special."_

_Neal was actually glad Rita started about Neverland – he hadn't known when at first the people here thought Neverland and the Enchanted Forest were nothing but fairy tales . Now he could check whether Regina didn't remember anything at all about her past, or that she just kept it from the others._

_However by the confusion in her eyes and the smile on her face he could tell she thought he was just as crazy as everyone else. "Neverland?" She asked. "My, that is very...interesting."_

_Neal shrugged in response. "Whatever." He replied, he was startled when he suddenly felt a warm hand on his shoulder. When he looked up he stared in the familiar dark brown eyes of Regina. "We all have our own way of dealing with our past. It's okay." She said with an encouraging smile._

_"Wow, deep." Rita remarked sarcastically, but both brunettes ignored him. _

_Well, Neal thought, she may not remember our time together, but maybe we can become friends again, and he smiled back at her. "Yes." He said with a short nod._

_._

* * *

**Present**

When Regina woke up that morning she was met with silence. First she enjoyed the quiet that was surrounding her, but when her eyes found the clock she frowned. 08:30 AM...Henry should have come to wake her by now. Slowly she got up out of bed and made to the door, just as she wanted to open it her eyes fell on the note that was stuck on it.

_Dear Regina,_

_I prevented Henry from waking you up this morning because you were so tired yesterday. He and I will spend this morning together at my office. If you would come to pick him up around three that would be wonderful, I have a meeting at 15:30. I insist you enjoy yourself today._

_Cora._

Regina smiled and she absentmindedly let her right hand rest on her round belly, feeling her child kicking a little, seemingly aware of the contact. She sighed and then walked over to her night stand where her phone was on, time to catch up with Emma.

**" Hey, are you free today by any accident?" T**he fact that she received a reply within a second told her yes and indeed:

_Yup, why? Wanna hang out?_

**"Yes. Cora took Henry with her to the office. Have to pick him up at 3, so free until then." **Regina texted back**.**

_Wow, did she really do that? You wanna hang out in the park, the weather is nice already. _

Regina frowned, at this point in her pregnancy sitting on the grass waa highly uncomfortable_..._**"Uhm, can't we meet at your place? I'm too fat to sit on the grass." **She texted back**.**

_ Uh yes that's cool. David's at the station and Mary is at school preparing stuff for next week. And you're not fat._

She laughed_. _**Yes I am fat. You'll see for yourself when I get there, I'm on my way.**

* * *

"Hey there, you beautiful skinny lady." Emma opened the door with a wide grin and let Regina in.

"Haha, very funny." Regina laughed as she sat down on the couch in the apartment that Emma shared with her parents – for now.

"You want something to drink?"

"No thanks, I just had breakfast."

"Okay. Well, then, how are you?" Emma asked while she plumped down on the couch next to Regina.

"I'm doing pretty well actually." Regina replied with a smile. "Cora and Henry are extremely kind to me and Henry seems to like it here very much as well."

"Well I'm glad to hear that. How long until Henry's school starts again?" Emma asked, indirectly asking with that question when Regina had to leave again.

"Well..your mother is a teacher and she's gone to work today to prepare for next week...shouldn't that tell you when school starts again?" Regina teased.

"Well maybe Henry's school didn't follow that schedule.." Emma huffed.

Regina laughed. "Don't worry. I'm just teasing you. But, no, Henry's school doesn't follow another schedule, he has to be back in school by next week again."

"So you're leaving then?" Emma asked and Regina grabbed her hands when she saw the sadness in the green eyes of the blonde.

"Don't worry. I won't leave you. Not again." Emma smiled, Regina could still read her emotions as if she was an open book, even after all this years.

"I think I will stay here." Regina continued. "I love it here, I honestly don't miss a thing about home. This...this feels much more like my home now. You're here, and Neal, and I've met so many wonderful new people here, they are all so nice. Ruby, Granny, Mary Margaret, David...and Henry and Cora not too forget...Being pregnant and a single mother isn't easy, and they are helping me so much here. And Henry, I haven't seen him this happy in months, he's made friends here. So...I think I'll go look for a place of our own here, and stay here." She concluded and before she knew it she was pulled in to a hug by Emma.

"I'm so glad you've decided to stay." Emma said softly.

"I am too." Regina replied as she answered the hug by wrapping her arms around the blonde. "Now, let go of me before you crush my child.

"Well I'm terribly sorry miss Mills." Emma said laughing while she pulled away from Regina.

"So. Tell me, how are things between you and Neal going in paradise? – O good I guess, judging by the wide foolish smile that now appears on your face." Regina teased which earned her to get a pillow thrown in her face.

"Well, I can't help it." Emma then said. "Do you know that feeling that you're so in love with someone that, well that it gets hard to breathe at times when you're together or when you think of him?" Before the brunette could answer Emma continued. "Well, of course you do, you've been married for ten years."

"Yes..." Regina replied timidly.

"Oh I'm sorry Regina, I shouldn't have started about him. I know you're still dealing with his passing."

But the brunette shook her head. "No, no it's okay. That's...that's not it."

"Then what is?" Emma pushed while she took Regina's hands in hers.

"I...I uhm,, I _don't_ know that feeling...not, not really. I loved Leo at first, or I think I did...when I look back at it I rather think I was in love with the illusion of things finally looking up for me...But...in love with Leo..I think I've never been in love with him...nor has he ever been in love with me..he..._he_ just needed someone to complete the conservative image of the happy family...I was nothing more than a trophy on his arm." Emma noticed how her voice grew bitter and frowned when she saw the pain and sadness in the brown eyes.

"I- I didn't know.." She whispered.

Regina smiled a sad smile. "Of course you didn't know, how could you have ever known. I haven't talked to you in years. Which was also Leo's doing by the way, he didn't want me to have anything tying me to my past. So don't be sorry Emma, it is I who should be sorry, for leaving you like that."

"We're a mess together, Regina." Emma said in a small voice as she softly squeezed into Regina's hands.

"That we are, dear. But I guess things are really looking up for us this time, right?"

Emma nodded. "Yes." She sighed. "Well, I think we need a change of subject to escape all this sadness."

Regina smiled. "Yes, happy thoughts."

The blonde couldn't help about the – to Regina unknown – irony that was hidden in that Peter Pan reference. "Lunch?"

"Yes, lunch. I have to get Henry in two hours." Regina replied.

* * *

When Henry Mills came home he was met by the soft sounds of a piano mixed with happy laughter coming from his living room. Curious to what was going on he quietly walked towards the room and peeked inside seeing his daughter sitting behind the piano with her son and the sheriff on the couch next to her. She played a tune he recognized as the theme song of one of those animated movies that were so popular these days.

"UP!" Emma and Henry yelled in unison. Regina stopped and laughed.

"Very good! Now, do you two know this one too?" And she started to play again, a waltz. Emma leaned back against the couch after a while. "I have to pass on this one, do you know what song this is little bug?"

Henry nodded with a wide grin on his face. "It's from the Sleeping Beauty!" Regina nodded with a smile and immediately changed the song into another familiar tune. Mr. Mills now entered the room, deciding this was a good time to make his presence known. "This one I know." He said. "That's a song from Disney's Snow White."

Henry nodded. "Yes!" He shouted with joy. "That is my favourite movie! Mommy can we watch it tonight before I have to go to sleep, can we please?"

"Only if Cora or Henry don't want to watch anything else tonight, honey, we're not alone here." Regina explained to her son.

"O but thanks to all those wonderful Disney theme songs you were playing I feel like watching Snow White tonight too. Leave my wife to me, I will talk her into it." Henry joked as he walked over to the three now.

Emma now got up from the couch. "Well I should go." She said but Henry shook his head. "Why don't you stay for diner Sheriff Swan? I'm sure Regina and little Henry would like that."

"Oh yes Emma, will you stay for dinner, will you?" The little boy asked excitedly and Emma saw that Regina too hoped that she would stay for dinner, although she didn't say anything, obviously not wanting to force Emma into something she didn't want.

"Well..." The blonde started. "I'm not sure if Mayor Mills would like..."

"Again, leave my wife to me." Henry interrupted the sheriff and it earned him a grateful smile from both the blonde and his daughter.

"Well then I am happy to stay."

"Yay!" Henry shouted in joy and he wrapped his little arms around Emma to show her how happy he was.

"Woah, well I'm glad to see you're so happy to be in my presence, kid." Emma laughed. "Now tell me, what is it we're going to eat?"

Henry turned towards his mother. "Mommy said she would cook tonight and make lasagne because I asked her too. Cause I missed it, cause it's the best lasagne in the whole world." The boy said seriously.

Regina now looked over to Henry. "I hope it is okay with you and Cora if I cook today? You two do so much for me already, and you work so hard. I thought I could do something back by cooking tonight instead of Cora?"

Henry nodded with a smile. "Well, first of all, know you never have to feel like you have to pay us back for anything. But, if I have to believe little mister Henry here, your lasagne is amazing, so I would be honoured to taste it."

"Well then I should go to the kitchen and get started." Regina said with a smile as she stood up from the piano.

"Yay!" Henry yelled for the fourth time in a short time. "We're eating lasagne, lasagne, lasagne." He sang and he danced in a small circle in the room.

"My, my, what a joy and laughter I find when I get home." They heard Cora while the mayor of Storybrooke entered the room.

"We're eating lasagne, Mrs Cora!" Henry yelled while he ran over to her and took her by her hand to lead her to the group of adults. "My mommy is going to cook lasagne. She almost never does that. Only when I am sick, or when daddy has been really mad at her, she does."

Regina winced at her son's words and laughed nervously. "I- I- I should get started if we want to eat at a proper time." Was all she said and she quickly made her way past the people present towards the kitchen.

She felt the eyes of Cora, Emma and Henry stinging in her back and she was happy when she felt a tiny hand slide into hers. "Can I help you mommy? Just like we always do?"

She smiled down at him. "Of course you can, honey."

"Cool." Henry sighed, oblivious of the sudden sadness that washed over his mother or the three adults that were still in the living room just watched how mother and son made their way to the kitchen.

* * *

**I promised to update before tomorrow, so here it is! **

**I'll reread on spelling mistakes tomorrow because it's pretty late here already and I'm very tired.**

**Please leave a review, they encourage me to continue writing and to update as soon as possible ****!**

**x**

**Metope**


	8. Chapter 7

**VII**

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy! Someone is calling you!" Regina and Cora looked up from respectively the magazine and book they were reading as Henry came running in the living room with Regina's phone in his hands.

"Thank you honey." Regina smiled as she took the phone from him, the smile on her face faded however as soon as she recognized the number that was calling. She took in a deep breath and then answered the phone, watching with her eyes how Henry climbed on the couch to sit on Cora's lap – Cora happily letting the boy.

"Hello?" Regina answered the phone. "Eleanor, hi...No I am fine, we are fine...stop by? _Today_? O, I see...Well yes, I'm residing at 108 Mifflin Street at the moment. Two o'clock is good. Yes, see you then. Bye."

"Who was that mom- "Henry didn't finish his sentence as he watched in surprise how his mother suddenly got up from the couch, repeating a word over and over again he knew _he_ wasn't allowed to say.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Regina panicked as she looked around the room as if she was searching for something and then put her phone down on the table.

"Mommy you said a bad word!" Henry laughed in surprise.

"Huh what?" Regina turned towards her son and Cora in confusion.

"Henry means you said a word you might not want to use in front of him." Cora replied with an arched eyebrow. She didn't really understand what was going on, but by the frantic and bewildered look in Regina's eyes she knew this Eleanor who had just called wasn't one of Regina's friends.

"Oh, yeah, right...I'm sorry, Henry." Regina apologized absentmindedly and then started to walk towards the hall. "I have to..uh...someone's coming in an hour...I need to..uh..prepare..."

"Mommy wait, who's coming?" Henry now asked, still sitting on Cora's lap.

Regina turned around once again. "Grandma is coming Henry." She said with a fake smile. "She wants to see us..._you_." She corrected herself. "So I need to..change."

Henry nodded in understanding. "Because grandma wants everything to be tight and _serious_." He said in a low voice, mocking the woman a little. Regina laughed. "Exactly."

"Do I have to wear my good clothes too?" He then asked in a small voice.

"No, honey. You can just stay in your jeans and batman shirt. Grandma will just have to deal with it."

Henry nodded approvingly and leaned back against Cora. "Can I go now?" Regina asked with a smile.

"Yup." Henry replied. "I'm going to stay here with auntie Cora." Henry had adopted that name for Cora a couple of days ago. Regina nor Cora had really liked the title, it didn't really fit the woman Cora – formal, mayor of storybrooke and a little uptight - was, but the boy seemed content with it and had stubbornly stuck with the title, and now they just let him.

"I feel honoured." Cora smiled. "What do you want to do. Maybe we could bake a cake while we wait for your mother?"

"Yes! That's fun!" Henry said excitedly and Regina smiled as she heard Henry telling Cora what should be in the cake while she made her way upstairs.

* * *

When Regina descended the stairs she was met with the smell of what seemed to be a strawberry cake. "Well that smells wonderful." She said as she made her way into the kitchen.

Cora looked up and was slightly taken aback by the appearance of her daughter. Up until now she had always worn loose colourful dresses, flats, her hair often up in a loose pony tail and usually applied only a light make-up. Now however her hair was loose and yet every single hair seemed to be put in the right place. Dark eyeliner, mascara and eyeshadow framed her eyes, her lips were coloured a dark colour of blood red. The make-up as a whole gave her a hard and cold look but it fit perfectly with the dark grey dress she was wearing. The dress was folded together just under her breasts and above her belly with a large shining clasp. The fabric fell loosely over her belle from there and stopped just above her knees. Slim legs in nude coloured tights followed and the entire outfit was finished by a pair of the highest black heels Cora had ever seen anyone wear.

"Wow mommy. You look really beautiful." Henry sighed when he saw his mother.

"That you do indeed, dear." Cora agreed with her son, cold appearance or not, she did look beautiful.

Regina blushed a little."Thank you." She walked over to the two to take a closer look upon the cake that was standing in front of them. "Are we allowed to try it yet?" She asked.

Henry first looked at Cora but when the woman gave him an encouraging nod he smiled and he carefully shoved the cake towards his mother. "Yes, you cut the pieces mommy." He said sweetly and Regina did as she was told and took the knife that was lying on the counter. Just as she was about to cut the door bell rang. "I'll go get it." Cora said and Regina nodded. It wasn't two o'clock yet, and her mother-in-law always arrived exactly at the time she said she would come, so she didn't have to worry it was her.

It was clear who did stop by at the Mills residence when Regina was greeted by a loud: "Wow, why are you looking all hot power woman in those ridiculously high heels? And o my god that smells delicious, I decided to stop by at the right time."

"Hi Emma." Regina smiled. "You want some cake too? Henry and Cora made it."

"Do I want some cake? If it smells like this? Of course I do! But, tell me, why this formal outfit?"

"My mother-in-law has decided to honour us with a visit." Regina sighed. "She was totally accidentally around and decided to 'stop by' to see her grandson."

"Why do I have the feeling you're not too happy about that?" Emma asked carefully.

Regina let out a nervous smile. "O take it from me Emma, she wasn't _accidentally _around at all. It's a two days drive from where she lives to here. She planned on coming here, calling me only an hour before she would arrived so I would have no choice but to say yes. She's checking on me or she wants something from me. Maybe both. But...this is not really the time to discuss that." The brunette said as she gestured towards her son who was staring hungrily at the cake.

"Aha I see." Emma said. "And ridiculously high heels a normal person would break her neck on, are necessary to be presentable for this visit?"

"That's something I would like to know as well." Cora now joined the conversation. "I don't even understand how you can stand on these heels at this point in your pregnancy, let alone the risk your taking. What if you fall?"

"O it will be fine. I'm used to walking on these shoes. I used to wear nothing else. I walked on them when I was pregnant with Henry too." Regina said. "Now, let's try that cake, because I sense that a little boy next to me can barely control his hunger."

Henry smiled. "Yes, I want to taste it! We put chocolate sprinkles on top to make it extra special, Emma." He explained to the blonde.

"Well now it just sounds like a little piece of heaven I have to taste." Emma laughed. "Come on Regina, don't let us wait any longer!"

"You two are horrible." Cora laughed. "But I agree, you mustn't let us wait any longer, dear."

* * *

**Ten years ago**

_"Ah, you must be Regina. My son has told me so much about you. It's a pleasure to meet you." She laughed nervously at the woman that walked over to her. She was wearing a large blue hat that matched the colour of her expensive looking dress. Her arms were wide and before she knew it she was pulled into a hug and had a kiss pressed to her cheek. _

_The woman took her hands in hers and looked her up and down. "What a..sweet simple flower dress you're wearing, dear" The woman said, but she saw that the woman wasn't impressed with it at all. The disapproving smirk on her mouth said it all. She laughed nervously. Leo's mother was about the same height as herself, but due to the high heels the woman was wearing she was a good inch taller than her, which added, together with the make-up, smirk and expensive clothes to the intimidating air the woman had around her._

_She felt how Leo wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into him. "I think it looks cute on her, mother. And maybe in time you can give her a few clothing tips." She smiled nervously again._

_"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs Blanc." She finally said. _

_"Hm, yes." The woman smiled back at her. "Well come and sit down dear. My son has told me a little bit about you already, but you know how men are. They have no eye for details, he probably left out half of your story, so tell me: How did you two meet? I want to know all about you and your past. I understood you grew up in a foster home? How horrible that must have been for you. All those children that aren't even your family by blood. And of course the lack of a role model, a mother and a father figure in your life. It's a wonder you turned out so well dear. Because that I can see already. You're a fine young lady." The woman rambled on, leaving her no chance to reply on anything the woman said or implied._

_Come on Regina, you can do this, she said to herself. It's just his mother, it won't be as if she will be there all the time. She lives two towns away. It can't be that bad... – _she couldn't have been more wrong..

* * *

Regina jumped at the sound of the door bell that rang through the house at exactly two o'clock.

"That's her." She whispered more to herself than to Cora, Henry, or Emma who was still there. "Come Henry." She then said and she waited for him to grasp her hand. "Let's go open the door for Grandma."

Regina sighed as she and her son made their way over to the front door. She had agreed with Cora that she could use the living room. Cora and Emma would stay in the study. Cora had known perfectly well that Regina was incredibly nervous and she had told Regina that they would keep an eye on her while she was talking to this Eleanor. There were glass doors that led from the living room to the study, it wasn't possible to look through them from the living room but from the study it do was possible to look through it into the living room.

The moment Regina opened the door she tasted that familiar bitter taste that was always there when she saw Eleanor. Eleanor completely ignored Regina, immediately pulling Henry into a tight – too tight – hug. "O my dear Henry, my dear grandson. How _are_ you! I have missed you!"

"Hi grandma Eleanor." Henry said politely as he subtly wiggled his way out of her hug and dutifully pressed a small kiss to her cheek, because he knew she would ask for it otherwise.

Eleanor then straightened herself up again and looked over to Regina as she entered the house. "Regina." Was all she said in a formal tone. Regina nodded and sent the woman in front of her a polite smile. "Eleanor. How are you. I hope you had a good trip? Here let me take your coat."

"Oh, yes, it was fine. As I said, I was nearby, so I thought. If my grandson won't come to me, I will come to my grandson."

Regina just nodded as she hang up Eleanor's coat and then led the woman towards the living room. "So I see _you_ have moved on from your husband rather quickly already. How far are you along?" Eleanor asked as she sent a disapproving look to Regina's belly.

Regina, choosing to ignore the first comment, just smiled once more to Eleanor. "I'm 24 weeks along now."

"I see. And what does little Henry think about this child that proves how little his mother cared for his own father?"

Regina pursed her lips and it took her all she had in her not too snap at the comment. Instead she lovingly looked over to her son who was sitting next to her. "Grandma asked you what you think about that mommy is having your baby brother or sister, Henry."

Henry smiled. "I think that it's really cool. I'm very excited that I'm gonna have a baby brother to play with. And I can teach him about cars and tell him about dogs and, and.."

"...well it could be a girl too." Eleanor interrupted the boy.

"No, girls are stupid."

"I'm a girl. And your mother is too, and you don't think we are stupid, do you?"

"Noo..." Henry hesitated. "But...I'd just rather have a baby brother." He sighed.

Eleanor laughed. "Well, maybe it's a good thing you want a brother. Let's hope it will be a boy. A girl would only take after your mother, and not having a role model is always still better than having your mother."

"I beg your pardon!?" Regina now snapped, her voice dropping an octave as she tried to control her anger.

"Henry, why don't you go play with your cars in your room so mommy and grandma can talk a little." Eleanor said sweetly to the boy and Henry nodded as he made his way out of the room, glad he could play with his cars again.

.

Emma and Cora watched it all from the study through the window as they stood next to each other. "O boy, she's getting mad." Emma said softly. They couldn't hear what was being said, but Regina's body language and the way her mouth formed into a thin line told her the brunette was not at all pleased with what the other woman – who was smiling way to brightly and fake for Emma's taste– was saying.

"O?" Cora asked, she didn't know Regina well enough yet to see such things in her body language.

"O she's going to flip." Emma continued. "Any minute now. Hurricane Regina is going to break loose, I tell you. You can see it in the way her lips are pursed, how her eyes have darkened, and how her body has tensed. I know that look on her face all too well. Get Regina that mad one time and you make sure you'll never do it again. Neal was as stupid to let it come that far _twice_. Sometimes he wakes me up because he has a nightmare and I _swear_ I heard him whisper Regina's name once."

Cora frowned. "It must be a rather aggravating conversation she's having then."

Emma nodded in confirmation. "Oh yes, most definitely. You have to do a lot to get her that angry with you. Hide that little necklace with the tree she has for example."

Cora smiled softly. "She got that from us. For her fifth birthday."

Emma looked over to Cora, sometimes she forgot Regina was her daughter. It just seemed all so normal, her best friend living in with Cora so there was someone to take care of her. She would almost forget about the whole family thing. Allthough, as Emma was thinking this she realised it didn't sound normal at all..."Are you planning on telling her one day?" She then asked.

Cora slowly nodded. "One day, maybe yes. But for now I'm happy with things how they are going. She's looking for houses here, so she'll be close even when she will move out here. If she doesn't remember on her own I'm happy to be there for her in the way I am now."

Emma nodded. "And at least now you are sure she doesn't blame you for anything. You know, in the case she might hold you and your husband responsible for what happened. Which is in no way really the case...if anyone is to blame it's Gold really, for scaring her and preventing you from saving her."

Cora looked to the blonde standing next to her. "You know miss Swan. You like to pretend you're all fun and tough and tom boyish and no brains. But in fact you're not so stupid at all."

Emma smirked. "Well, I guess I have to take that as a compliment, then."

Cora didn't reply and when Emma looked back through the window she knew why. "Ah there she is. Hurricane Regina." Emma stated.

* * *

"I want you to leave this house, _this_ instant!" Regina said in a low menacing voice. She had got up from the couch and was now pointing at the door.

Eleanor slowly got up from the couch as well so that she was facing Regina, their faces only inches apart but neither of them moved away.

"O I will go. I did what I came for."The woman replied in a voice just as low, evil seeping through it. "And the next time you'll see me, I'll come to take my son's son with me. So he can live with the family he belongs with. The family that can take care of him, instead of his _whore_ of a mother."

It took Regina every inch of self control in her body to not slap the woman in her face right there. "You will NOT take MY SON FROM ME." She yelled instead.

"That boy stopped being your son the moment you invited another men between your legs only two _weeks_ after your husband had died!" Eleanor spat back. "It's one thing part of Henry's blood is yours, but the other is Leo's and I will make sure that the boy grows up in an environment that's Blanc-worthy."

Regina shook her head and smirked. "Well it's a good thing then Henry has not even one teny tiny bit of your family's blood running through his veins...O yes.." She continued when she saw the confused look on Eleanor's face. "Henry is not Leo's son, legally yes, but biologically not at all. Your son was an impotent _bastard_ of a man. Blaming _me_ for the four years in which I wasn't able to get pregnant even though the doctors said nothing was _wrong_ with _me_. No, Henry is the perfect combination of me and the wonderful man who one day decided to donate his sperm to the sperm bank."

Eleanor's hand clashed hard with her cheek the moment she was done talking and Regina couldn't help but gasp at the sharp pain she felt. "Oh, you should _NOT_ have done that." She growled when she was recovered from the shock and she grabbed Eleanor's arm and started to make her way towards the hall. "I said it once, and I'll say it again. I want you to leave this house now, and _never_ come back! Stay away from me and my son! You have _no_ idea what I'm capable off!"

Eleanor who was taken aback by this sudden assertive behaviour of the woman she knew as a timid brunette she could bend in all ways she wanted, was too astonished to do anything else but walk – or rather _run_ – with Regina as the woman dragged her towards the door. She caught the coat Regina threw her way and then found enough dignity to walk to the door and open it herself. In the doorway she turned around.

"Think about this Miss Mills. You can threaten me as much as you want. But when the judge in court will have to choose between assigning custody to a single mother who got herself knocked up after a one night stand, only two weeks after her husband died, who has no money of herself and no job, and the rich and wealthy family of the boy's father who is happy to provide the boy with all he needs and asks for, I think I will know what that judge will do." And with that Eleanor turned and walked away.

Regina immediately slammed the door shut behind her, and as soon as she was sure the woman couldn't hear her anymore she let out a heartfelt scream of frustration and anger. Cora and Emma now came out the study and walked over to her with wide shocked eyes. Regina saw sadness and anger in the two pairs of respectively green and brown eyes.

"O honey..." Cora started when she saw the red spot Eleanor's hand had left on Regina's cheek.

But Regina shook her head as she moved past the two. "I don't need your pity. I would appreciate it very much if you would leave me alone now." She growled as she marched her way upstairs, two seconds later the blonde and brunette heard the door of Regina's room slam shut.

Henry left his room at the sound and descended the stairs with a questioning look. "What's wrong with mommy? Where is grandma?" He asked.

Emma smiled softly at him. "Uhm, grandma had to leave already, little bug. And your mother just needs a little time for herself."

"O.." Henry said and both adults saw that he didn't really buy the story.

"How about we watch Finding Nemo together, hm?" Cora then asked, the woman smiled when she saw the boy's face clear up in joy – that movie always worked. "Yes! I'll go get it!" He yelled happily and he made his way towards the living room to get his favourite movie. Quoting the blue fish Dory on his way: _"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, we swim!"_

* * *

**I was so happy with your reviews and follows after the last chapter that I decided to update quickly again ****!**

**Please review again, because clearly it makes me update sooner ;)!**

**x**

**Metope**


	9. Chapter 8

**VIII**

* * *

It had been two weeks since Eleanor had stopped by. Regina hadn't heard from her ever since. Regina hadn't told Emma or Cora anything about her conversation with Eleanor. She didn't want to think about it, and it wasn't really any of their concern either. She'd let herself believe all what Eleanor had said was nothing but a false threat, and she had decided to continue with her life as if nothing had ever happened. Together with Neal she had travelled back to her old house a couple of days ago to sort out all of hers and Henry's things, and make other arrangement so they could move to Storybrooke permanently: Change her address, change Henry's school etc. Selling the expensive house she'd lived in for ten years would be difficult in these times, but she would at least try.

Now she was sitting in the garage of the Mills mansion sorting the moving boxes on what they really needed and on what could stay in the garage for the time they still lived with Cora and Henry. The latter could remain in the garage for the time being.

"Regina, there is mail for you." She heard Henry call to her from outside.

"Coming!" She answered, and with a sigh she pushed herself out of the chair she had been sitting in. She smiled when she looked down at her bulging belly. She'd really have to find a place of her own soon, so she could start with the nursery. She made a mental note to ask Emma and Mary Margaret if they wanted to go shopping for the baby one of these days. Slowly she made her way out of the garage. It was a warm day for this time of year. Henry had been less than pleased when she'd told him today he would have to go to school, instead of going with Ruby to the swimming pool.

"Thank you." She smiled at Henry when he handed her a letter and she opened it right away.

Her eyes quickly read the words and the more she read the more she felt herself getting warmer, her breathing quicken, and her anger growing.

"Everything alright Regina?" Henry asked carefully as he saw how Regina's hands started to tremble. He was slightly taken aback by the dark angry eyes that looked up at him at his words. Henry knew that look, he knew those eyes, those were the eyes of Cora when she was angry, and with angry he meant furious.

"No." Regina said in a low voice. "Everything is _not_ alright. Everything is _far from_ alright." And without explaining anything more to the man she turned around and marched back to the garage, the letter still in her hand.

Henry waited in the yard for a while, not sure what to do. But when it didn't appear Regina was going to come back again he decided to leave her for now and walked back into the house.

* * *

Neal was whistling some song he had heard on the radio the day before and enjoyed the weather as he was on his way to his father's shop. Their relationship had become better and better over the past few months, and they would have lunch together today. However when he reached the Mills residence he stopped walking slightly shocked by the scene that was playing in front of him.

Henry was standing in the front yard, watching with a face full of worry and sadness how Cora was trying to calm down a raging Regina who was carrying piles of what appeared to be photo albums towards a large garbage container.

Regina obviously didn't listen to Cora's pleas to calm down and think through whatever it was she was doing, as she continued to march towards the container and violently threw all the albums in it. A couple of pictures fell next to it and as good as her pregnant belly let her she bend down to grab them and violently ripped them to pieces, throwing the parts in the container again before making her way back to the garage. When she reappeared with yet another pile of albums Neal thought it was time to intervene. There was only one way to deal with 'hurricane Regina' as Emma had always called it, and Cora and Henry didn't seem to know how nor be able to do so.

"Regina, what are you doing?" He started as he walked up the path to the house.

"Go away f you know what's good for you, Neal." She growled as she walked past him.

"Regina, honey, please calm down. This is not good for your baby." Cora pleaded, not knowing what to do at all.

Neal shook his head, Cora was being too nice to Regina, this wouldn't help. He understood it though, the woman only just got her daughter back, she was probably scared to act like her mayoral self, afraid of scaring Regina. Which was a shame because it was what Regina needed and Cora could most certainly play that role – it was obvious whom Regina got this temper of hers from.

When he saw Regina was on her way back again he blocked her way and grabbed her arms with both hands. She tried to shrug him off but of course he was much stronger than she.

"Neal Cassidy let go of me THIS INSTANT!" She yelled at him but he just shook his head.

"You are behaving ridiculously Regina. I want you to calm down now and then calmly tell me what has you so upset." He said in a firm voice.

"I don't have to do anything you say, nor tell you anything. Besides, you're in no place to ask this of me anyways. I still haven't forgiven you for hiding my necklace, Cassidy!"

Neal couldn't help but laugh at that comment. Regina sure knew how to hold a grudge against someone for a long time.

"Don't laugh at me! Let me go you fool! I need to get rid of the rest of the stuff of that _bastard_!"

Neal shook his head. "You mean your husband by that?"

"Ex-husband." Regina spat, emphasizing the word 'ex'. "And yes! I mean him yes! I want everything out, out of that garage, out of my life."

"And why is that?" Neal asked calmly, feeling that if he would be too hard to her now she would shut him out.

"Because I hate him. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. I hate him so incredibly much Neal!" She ranted"I feel horrible to say this, but I'm glad he died, I really am! And I thought - for just a very, _very_ short moment I was foolish enough to think that _now_ I would finally be free, free from him, free from the horrible role as the perfect wife of the perfect charismatic politician and above _all_ free from that witch of a mother of his, with her disapproving judgmental way of talking to me. But how could I be so stupid as to think _that_!" Regina laughed a wicked laugh.

"But that's not the case I take it by your raging appearance?" Neal then asked, and the dark brown eyes that shot daggers to him told him she wasn't ready for any jokes yet.

"No." She growled then in a very low voice. "No that is not the case at all." And suddenly her lip started to tremble and the anger that was in her eyes made place for a deep intense sadness and pain. "Because I just got a letter from court telling me that 'Mrs. Blanc has asked for custody over my son, on grounds of the incompetence and mental instability and irresponsibility of his biological mother'." And when the last word had left her lips she completely broke down, she buried her face in Neal's t-shirt and he wrapped his arms around her, lowering her to the ground when she wasn't able to support her own weight anymore as she cried. "They are taking my baby." She sobbed.

"Sssh, no they won't. We'll make sure she won't take him away from you, Regina. It's okay, it's alright."Neal tried to comfort her but Regina shook her head.

"We can't. You don't know them, they are so rich, they know so many powerful people, they'll have the best lawyers in the _world_ to plea for their case, and they won't hesitate to play dirty either. I can't beat that. I don't have the money nor the contacts to come up with an equally good or even better defence, Neal."

"We'll see about that. It's important that you don't give up already, Regina. Come on. Man up a little, I don't know you like this. You're a strong woman, you fight for what you want until you have it exactly the way you want it."

"I haven't been that woman for a very long time Neal. I don't even know who she is anymore." Regina whispered.

"Well I'm staring at her right now, she's just having some trouble finding out what to do." Neal said firmly as he took her face in his hands so she had to look at him. "We're going to fight this. I'm sure we can find you a good lawyer and don't forget, _good_ always wins Regina. You are a wonderful mother to Henry, he couldn't wish himself a better one, and the judges will see that. I'm sure they will. Don't worry."

Neal knew his words had reached her when a small smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you." She said softly.

"It's alright. Now come let's get you standing again, I'm not too comfortable here on the ground so I take it you won't be either." And with that being said Neal helped Regina back up again.

Regina wiped some grass off of her legs and when she looked up again she stared into two pair of worried looking sad eyes. "I'm sorry for making such a scene." Regina said quietly to Cora and Henry.

"It's okay honey. Losing your child, even the idea of that, is the worst thing that can happen, it makes you do...crazy things. We understand how that must make you feel..." Cora said softly as she walked over to Regina and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry anyways." Regina said softly. "I'm very grateful that I and Henry can stay here with you, and my behaviour wasn't showing that at all."

"As my wife said, it is alright Regina. We're glad we now know what has been bothering you over these past few days. Just know that you can always come to us with anything. We will help you as much as we can." Henry said as he softly put his hand on Regina's shoulder. "That way we might prevent you from becoming so angry. We really didn't know what to do to calm you down. Thank god mister Cassidy stopped by." He added to that with a teasing smile on his face. She had so much of Cora's personality in her, he was conflicted, he was worried and angry that someone was making her feel so upset, yet at the same time he was moved by the fact that his daughter looked so much like her mother. In appearance she might be taking more after him, but her personality was like Cora's in many ways.

Regina blushed. "Yes...well...I tend to explode in rage at times when something really upsets me. Neal has had the honour to experience my wrath being unleashed upon him twice now. So he is an expert in knowing what to do with me when I am like that" She joked.

Neal gave a theatrical nod as to emphasize the truth of Regina's words and grinned widely. "At your service Mr. Mills. If she does anything like that again, just call me, or Emma for that matter. This was actually quite a mild 'hurricane Regina." He continued. "When she was younger she would go much further. She – Ouch, Regina, that hurts!" Neal grabbed for his leg where Regina had just kicked him.

"Well don't call me hurricane Regina then." Regina said dryly and then walked back over to the container. "Now come help me Cassidy. I need you to get the photo albums that have pictures with Henry in it back out of that garbage container for me. He might want to see them when he's older, although I sincerely hope he won't. I would do it myself but I'm too pregnant to be able to reach that far down into the bin."

Together with Neal, Cora and Henry too approached the container and got a few of the albums out of it. Cora opened one of them to see if Henry was in any of the pictures, a soft gasp escaped her lips when she opened the book however. "Oh, these are your wedding pictures." She said softly and she couldn't help but smile at how beautiful her daughter looked in it. A younger version of Regina with longer hair smiled brightly into the camera wearing a simple white dress. Next to her was standing Leo, who Cora now saw, was a man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He had a strong jaw line and something in the way he looked into the camera made that Cora liked him even less. He didn't look sincerely happy, not like Regina. Cora focused her attention on her daughter again and saw how much she had changed over the years. There was a spark in the eyes of this Regina, a hint of happiness, youth and also of naivety, a spark that Cora hadn't seen in Regina's eyes these days, except for when she was playing the piano. Cora had come home twice now to see her daughter sitting behind the instrument, and in these rare moments she had scene that spark in the brown eyes. That spark that was obviously suppressed by worries, pain and sadness on all the other moments.

"Oh yes.." Regina's voice pulled Cora out her silent observation. "That one you can throw away again."

"Are you sure? Don't you think you'll regret it? Maybe you'll want to look into them later?" _I__ want to look into them later_ , Cora added to that in her mind_, I want to see all the photos of your life before we found you..._

But Regina shook her head. "No. Everything with Leo in it but without Henry can be thrown away." Her tone of voice told Cora not to argue about this matter anymore and so the woman obeyed, throwing the album back into the container, regretting it with whole her heart.

* * *

"Miss Mills. What can I do for you." The man asked surprised when he saw no one less than Cora's daughter entering his shop.

"Mister Gold, I understand that you also provide _legal_ services in...certain matters?" Regina asked bluntly, not wanting to address the matter any more subtly.

The man sent her a knowing smile which sent shivers down her spine. Regina didn't trust this man at all, but desperate times called for desperate matters. And this man could very well be the only one to help her to keep her son from being taken.

"Why yes, as you described so fittingly, I do provide some legal services in certain matters. It depends on the matter though. Are you in need of help then?"

"Well that depends on whether my matter is also a matter _you_ provide legal services in..." Regina replied.

"How about you tell me what matter we're talking about here then, so I can tell you if I'd be able to help you?"

The woman nodded. "I need you to help me prevent my mother-in-law from taking my son. She has applied for custody, saying that I am an unfit mother, due to my rather.._unexpected_ pregnancy and the fact that I grew up without parents and don't have job right now."

"And none of that is true?"

"Well I like to think it is not, no, thank you very much." Regina snapped.

The man smiled. "Well this sounds like an ordinary custody case to me Miss Mills, and if you are right and all your mother-in-law's accusations are false, then I wouldn't be too worried. A regular lawyer would be able to help you out. So I take it there is something else, something that made you come to me?" The imp leaned a little forward over his counter so his face was closer to Regina's.

Regina placed both hands on the counter and leaned a little forward as well, determined not to show any weaknesses towards this man. She knew his type of men, give them one hint of a weakness and they would have power over you. No, talking with these kind of men was like a game, a game she had become quite good at in the time she worked at the bank and had to keep herself standing between all her male colleagues.

"Well the family of my late husband is very wealthy and _very_ powerful. Therefore they can do things normal people can't; Alter the truth a little, influence the right people, ask the right lawyers to help them...play dirty if necessary...That sort of things, so a _regular_ custody case this will never be, nor will a normal lawyer be able to defend me properly."

"Ah, I see." The imp smirked, he enjoyed this little conversation. He admired the strength this woman possessed. She reminded him so much of her mother, the way she wasn't afraid of him, how she tried to not let him show too many of what she hold dear to her heart, knowing it would be seen and used as a weakness by him. And yet, this woman was so very different from her mother too. She was powerful, _very_ powerful. He had known it already when he had met her as that little girl, all these years ago. She had been able to see the purple magic at the age of five already. And now he could hear the magic humming and could feel it radiating from her, practically screaming to be used. He wondered if Cora had noticed it too. "And what do you have in mind then? What do you want me to do?" He then asked.

"Personally I don't feel much for a trial. It will be messy no doubt. I don't have the time nor the energy for that" Regina said. "I want you to contact Eleanor's lawyer and propose a deal. You see, it is Henry who has inherited most of Leo's possessions, real estate and money. He can't use any of it until he reaches the age of eighteen, however. Only Leo was able to touch it, when Leo died that right moved to me, as I am his parent now and the one who is taking care of him legally. Henry has inherited the house and practically all the money. I propose you use as much as you need of that to propose a deal. A deal in which they get whatever amount of money she and her family want and Henry will stay with me."

"You think she will accept that?"

"O she most certainly will. Eleanor doesn't like children. It hit me last night. She's never liked children, so I started wondering why she was so dead on getting custody over Henry and I realised she's doing it for the money. When she will be Henry's only legal guardian she will have access to the house and the money. It's all about the money."

Gold nodded, what Regina told him sounded plausible. "Okay." He said. "I'm willing to help you."

A small smile appeared on Regina's face, but she made sure it didn't reflect the true relieve she was feeling in that moment; the lesser emotions she showed the lesser he could control her. "Great." she said. "What do I owe you for your work, _if_ you succeed that is."

Gold smirked. "You owe me a favour Miss Mills. If that is okay with you?"

Regina frowned, that was most certainly an odd price to pay. "A favour?"

The imp nodded. "I don't know what I want to ask of you just yet. But I will find a fitting price, and if I succeed, that means your son will be safe, and I'm sure no price will be too high for that?"

The brunette sent him a fake smile this time. "I guess you are right, Mr. Gold. Here, this envelop contains everything you need to know about Eleanor and this case." She shoved the envelop over the counter and just as he was about to grab the envelop she leaned over the counter just a little more, so their faces were only inches apart. "I trust it you will keep this conversation and deal between us Mister Gold, just as I trust you to do as we just agreed. Don't fail."

Gold smirked. "A deal is a deal, dearie, and those I _never_ break."

"Good." Regina replied and with that she turned around, halfway towards the door she stopped. Her whole demeanor had changed now as she sent him a smile. "Oh, tell Neal I said hi. I heard you're having lunch with him later."

"You know my son?" Gold asked in confusion.

Regina nodded. "Yes, we've spend several years together in the same foster home. Didn't he tell you?" She laughed nervously. "Hm, the confused look on your face tells me he didn't. Well, anyways, it doesn't really matter. I have to go now." And with that she made her way out the shop. When she heard the door fall shut behind she let out a sigh of relieve.

She had been extremely nervous about this. When she had asked Cora about Mister Gold she had told Regina very adamantly not to go to him. When she had asked why she had received a half answer about the man was not to be trusted, that he didn't play fair. Cora had thought to convince Regina with this not to go to the man, but since a man that wasn't scared of looking at the law in a 'creative way' was exactly what Regina needed, it had only increased her determination to go ask this man for help. She was glad now that she had decided to do so. She believed the man when he had told her he never broke a deal. Everything would be alright now, she told herself. Henry would stay with her, and that favour she owed the man...well that couldn't be anything too horrible, now would it?

* * *

**So I was supposed to work on my thesis today, but I didn't really got anything done and instead this happened, which is good for all you followers, but bad for me and my thesis xD.**

**I was very pleased to read all your sweet reviews! To the several 'guest'-reviewers who asked about when StableQueen will be established in this story: You'll have to wait one or two more chapters. I know, it hurts, I hate it too, but for the story it's important that I let things happen in this order and don't rush things ****. Besides, I kinda like to write about Regina's relationship with her son, Cora, Neal and Emma as well. But as I said, don't worry: StableQueen is coming soon B|!**

**Now please be so kind as to leave me a review again ****?**

**x**

**Metope**


	10. Chapter 9

**First of all: O MY GOD THAT SNEAK PEEK WHAT ARE THE WRITERS DOING TO MY BABY T_T!**

**And HERE YOU GO STABLEQUEEN SHIPPERS; THIS CHAPTER IS FOR YOU**

* * *

**Chapter IX**

* * *

**29 years ago**

Marie was staring out of the window with worried eyes as she saw the black smoke approaching the little house she lived in with her husband and nine year old son. She felt a small hand grabbing hers and she softly squeezed it.

"Mother, I'm scared." A small voice came.

She turned around to face her son and looked in the bright blue eyes he had inherited from her. "That is okay, sweetheart. I am scared too, as is your father. But you know what? Everything will be alright, we will be safe, the curse won't really _curse_ us."

When the boy looked at her with confused eyes she pointed at the necklace with the black marble that was around his neck. "That necklace is going to safe us."

"How then mother?"

"I'm not exactly sure. But what I do know is that these necklaces will protect us. They will bring us to the same land as the cursed people will go to, but we will be able to start a new life there. We won't be cursed."

"But what about the other people then mother?" Her son asked with worried eyes. She couldn't help but smile softly at how much he always cared for others. "They will be cursed, but us was assured that the first thing they will do when they get there is find a way to break the curse."

A snort from the back of the room made the boy turn around. "You don't think so father?"

"I think that this plan is presented in much too pink colours, that's what I think. This curse will erase everyone's memories and trap them in time and place, I don't understand they can be so sure that the same won't happen to them." He said in a gruff voice.

"To Lady Cora and Lord Henry?" The boy asked.

His mother nodded. "Yes. They have enacted the curse."

"But then they _are_ evil!" The boy exclaimed his eyes wide. "Why would they do that? They are always good to us, even though others say Lady Cora is bad. I thought they were wrong. But then they _are_ evil, how can we believe these necklaces will save us? Why would they help us?"

Marie wrapped her arms around her son and pulled him into her. "Because not everything is black or white. Good or Evil, my sweet boy. Lady Cora might have done terrible things, but you don't know the story that's behind all of it."

"And you do mother?"

"Yes, yes I do. Long before you were born your father and I, we both worked on Lord and Lady Mills' estate already. I was a maid to lady Cora then and your father worked in the stables, just as he did up until now. The Lady and Lord had a beautiful daughter, but one day, the girl was only five years old, they lost her. She was taken from them by the cruel Dark One. He spoke the prophesy that in 30 years Cora would cast a curse that would bring them to their daughter. This curse. Cora swore she wouldn't cast it, but the loss of their daughter was too much for her, until one night Cora decided that she would do everything it took to get her daughter back. She took out her heart in order to be cruel enough to do so. That's when she changed and became evil. However, even without her heart she wasn't entirely evil, it's how she could still be nice to our family. Your father and I continued to serve her until I got pregnant with you. Cora knew then already that she would cast this curse some day and she didn't want us to be subject of the fate that would bring upon us, because throughout these years we had served her so well, so she said. Therefore she promised us that before she would cast the curse, she would make sure that we would be safe."

"With these necklaces..." Her son whispered.

"Yes, with these necklaces."

Their little house started shaking heavily as the dark cloud was approaching the house quickly.

"So now they are going to find their daughter again?"

"Yes. Lady Cora has her heart back in her chest again, so she can feel again, love again. And they will break the curse as soon as they are there, and they will find their daughter. And as soon as the curse will be broken, we can go to that place too. So we will be with our friends again." Marie said softly and she smiled when she felt the strong arms of her husband embrace them as the smoke had now reached their house. As the storm broke the glass of the window she hurt a muffled cry of fear coming from their son.

"It's okay my sweet boy. Everything will be okay. We're safe, mother and father are here...everything will be alright, my sweet Daniel..."

* * *

**28 years later**

Daniel stared at his phone. 'Broken' it said: sent by: August.

He couldn't help but smile. So the curse was broken! He could go back now, back to the people he belonged with.

His phone buzzed again, it was Neal this time. 'Did you get that message from August too? Does it mean what I think it means?'

**Daniel: **'I think it does indeed.' Daniel texted back. 'Are you going over there?'

**Neal: **'No. No way. I want to stay as far as possible from that place, and what if there's still magic. You shouldn't go there either if you know what's good for you.'

**Daniel:** Well that's your choice then. I don't have bad memories about my time with our people. I'm going back. It has taken 28 years for the curse to break, that wasn't supposed to happen, I want to know what went wrong.'

**Neal** Suit yourself. But don't expect me to come. And don't talk about me to my father. You understand?

**Daniel** Yes yes, he won't hear a thing from me.

* * *

**Six months ago**

Daniel was staring blankly into nothing while he was playing with his empty scotch glass, sitting at the bar of some popular club. He didn't really know what to do with himself. He had Storybrooke expected to be entirely else than it had been in reality. Never had he thought about the fact that 'being trapped in time' meant that everyone he knew, all his friends, had never aged: Were all still nine and ten years old. So now he didn't know where he belonged. This world was not his own, his own world was destroyed if he had to believe Gold and Cora, and Storybrooke wasn't home either, because he knew no one there. Only Nea... and Cora and Henry, they had been sincerely happy to see him. They had asked him about his parents and he had told him they had both passed away already. 28 years was a long time, his father had died from cancer, his mother a year after that from a broken heart. The fact that they were forced to live a life that didn't feel as theirs for 28 years had finally taken its toll on her. So now he was alone, he had to make up his mind. He was a veterinarian, a damn good one if he said so himself. So the best thing to do was to find a small town somewhere where he could start a practice. A place where there were more animals then just dogs, rabbits and cats – which was all he was treating now in the big city – He needed a town where there were stables too...a place like Storybrooke...but not Storybrooke...

Suddenly he got pulled from his thoughts by a group of women that entered the club, they were laughing loudly and seemed to have had a couple of drinks already. One of the women attracted his attention in particular. She seemed to be tall, but he quickly saw that was caused by the immensely high heels she was wearing, she had raven dark hair that stopped just above her shoulders. A tight black pencil skirt that ended mid-thigh accentuated her female curves, the dark blue top she was wearing further accentuating her slim figure. When he studied her face his eyes were suddenly met by big dark brown orbs. The most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. This woman intrigued him for more reasons than just her stunning appearance though, because in these eyes, in these dark brown eyes, behind the facade of happiness and having a relaxed fun night with her friends, he saw so much more. He saw some sort of confusion, a hint of being lost, a sadness that he could relate to...that he knew. It was a look that said she didn't really know what she was doing here, in this club, with these friends, in this town in general. It said that she felt incredibly out of place.

He was startled a little when he saw her walking his way. Their eyes met again and while she walked over to him they never broke eye contact. She took place on the bar stool next to him and ordered a scotch. She didn't look at him now, and he knew that if he wanted to get to know this woman better, now was the time to make a move, she was silently inviting him to do so.

"Shouldn't you be dancing like the rest of your friends do?" He asked.

She slowly turned her head to the right to look at him. "Shouldn't you be dancing with your friends?"

"I'm not here with friends."What is that for a weird answer, Daniel, he thought to himself.

"So with whom are you here then?"

"Uhm, no one. Not with a woman if that's what you were asking."

She shrugged. "Not in particular. I just thought it was odd for someone like you to come here all by himself."

"Someone like me? What am I like then in your opinion?" He asked with an amused smile which she returned.

She shrugged again. "I'm not entirely sure. You just seemed to be the type of guy that never has a problem finding someone to be with. But I don't really know you, so I could be wrong."

Daniel took as sip from his refilled glass. "Well, you are wrong, but as you said, that's because you don't really know me, and in order to change that...I'm Daniel."

The woman smiled as she shook the hand he offered. "Nice to meet you Daniel, I'm Regina."

It wasn't difficult for them to start a real conversation after that. In between the talking they flirted and Daniel couldn't help but notice that he had never felt so drawn to a woman as he was to this woman ever before. Talking to her was so easy and he noticed he told her much more about his life than he ever told anyone, let alone someone he had just met. He saw felt it too, he saw a certain fear and shyness in her eyes, and yet she did tell him a lot of personal things; How her husband had died only two weeks ago, how she had wanted to leave him for a long time but hadn't done so because of their five year old son, that she had eventually decided to do so, but that he died the night she was about to tell him. She felt guilty for his death. He told her she shouldn't and the sad smile she sent him on those word almost broke his heart. While they were talking he hadn't noticed how she had drank several glasses of alcohol already, and when they had to leave because the bar was closing and she could barely keep herself standing he noticed how much she had had to drink. Her friends had gone already and she couldn't remember her address anymore. She felt incredibly embarrassed and she apologized at least ten times while he helped her into a cab as he decided that it was best to take her to his place. In her phone he found 'babysitter' in her contacts and texted to the babysitter that she was stuck in traffic and wouldn't be able to come home tonight.

* * *

When Daniel led her into his hotel room she sat down on the couch. She seemed to be sobered up a little. He went to sit next to her, not really knowing what to do now. He looked at her, she was so beautiful.

"Well, I'll let you sleep in the bed. I'll take the couch." He said as he helped her up to go over to the bed.

"Oh no, I'll sleep on the couch. You've done so much for me already." She said as she weakly tried to resist him while he softly pushed her towards the bed.

"But I insist."

"No, no, I shouldn't do that. I should go home anyways...my son..."Regina said a little confused, she tried to move away from Daniel but fell over her own legs backwards on the bed, taking Daniel – who was still holding her – with her in her fall. He landed half on her, his breath caught in his throat as he stared down in those brown eyes that were staring up at him with such sweetness, and a hint of wonder.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She finally asked in a soft voice.

"Why wouldn't I be. You're a kind, beautiful woman, who's going through a difficult time." He said without moving away from her, too caught up in the moment.

"O.." She practically whispered as she leaned up a little. Her lips brushed his for a moment before she leaned up just a little more to capture his lips with hers. Mesmerized by the softness of her lips and their sweet taste of the alcohol she had drunk earlier mixed with what he thought to be apple, he kissed her back immediately. Their kiss quickly deepened, and they didn't break the kiss until both were in great need of air. He felt Regina's hands go to the hem of his shirt wanting to remove it, it pulled him out of the trance he was in and he immediately rolled off of her sitting up abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked confused.

"I – as much as I want this now. We shouldn't do this. You're...you're not thinking straight. I would be taking advantage of you. I don't want that."

He saw her eyes sadden. "Then why did you kiss me back?"

"I..that was...because...that doesn't matter. What does matter is that you need to sleep now. Alone." Daniel shook his head in confusion, his judgement was clouded by the alcohol he had had too, and it was difficult for him to think straight and not give in to his desires.

"Of course...I understand...you're not interested...that's okay." She whispered in a broken voice.

"What? No, no that's not it. I—I am interested, I do..I mean..I..." This was getting way too awkward a conversation, Daniel thought.

"Then why don't you...why don't you want to sleep with me?" She asked hurt and in that moment Daniel understood. This wasn't just a one night stand to her. Or... it was that was exactly what it was, but she needed it not because she just wanted to have fun or something, but as a way of confirmation. From what he had heard so far about her former husband it didn't seem like he had treated her right. This wasn't just a drunken excess to her, this was a crucial point, a way of confirmation, a way for her to decide if she still mattered. He needed to show her that she did matter indeed, but in a way that didn't involve two drunk people who barely knew each other sleeping with each other.

So he went to sit next to her on the bed again as he took her hands in his. "Regina." He started. "I don't want to sleep with you because you are drunk, and I am afraid you will regret it tomorrow. You're drunk and...I don't want to do that to you. It has nothing to do with you as a person, because believe me, if the circumstances were any different...You are a beautiful woman, and from what I've seen from you so far, I dare say you're smart, funny and kind. You do matter, Regina. You matter to me already, I'm sure your son loves you, your friends...And...precisely because you've made me care about you in the short time we know each other, I'm not going to sleep with – " He was silenced when she pressed her lips against his once again, more forcefully than the first time, resulting in a kiss that was even more passionate than the one they had shared earlier.

She pushed him down to the bed with a little force, when she wanted to reattach their lips again after they had parted for air, he put his hand against her lips. "Regina..." He said softly.

"Daniel..." She replied. "Don't...don't be such a gentleman...it's your own fault that I want you to...I'm...I'm not used to that..I...just...just this night, one night..I need to feel something, I need..I need you."

And as disgusted as he was by his weakness, those words, in combination with those pleading eyes, they made him give in as he kissed her and rolled them over so she now was on her back.

She was different, this woman. This wasn't like any other night he had spend with a woman. When he kissed her, he felt complete, he felt sparks, he felt happiness, he felt...home... There was something about her that made him feel safe, he didn't feel so out of place, everything seemed to be perfect...and he allowed himself to drown in that feeling as he deepened their kiss even more and let Regina take off his shirt, as he started to pull her top from her skirt...

.

.

...When Daniel woke up the following morning, he woke up alone. Next to him he found a note.

* * *

_'Thank you...  
I'm incredibly sorry for my behaviour last night, but thank you...  
Thank you for helping me...Because that is what you did.  
You were so afraid that I would regret it, so I want you to know that I don't.  
Don't be too hard on yourself, don't feel bad...Thank you..._

_Regina_

Several words in the note were scratched out again, she obviously hadn't really known how to make her thoughts known to him, but he understood anyways. He smiled sadly. Now she was gone, and he didn't have anything of her, just her first name...

* * *

**I was planning on writing more in this chapter, but it just became too long so I decided to split it up in two chapters. I found it incredibly difficult to write this because I wanted to keep Daniel sympathetic even though all this happened.**

**Readers for Nothing can Part us: Next thing I'll update is that story ****!**

**So please review what you think of this!**

**x**

**Metope**


	11. Chapter 10

**X**

* * *

"Daniel, how are you dear?" Cora greeted Daniel with a smile as she let him into the house. "We haven't seen you in a while here."

"Hello Mrs. Mills. I'm great, thank you."

"O how often have I told you, you can call me Cora. You're practically family."

Daniel smiled. "Yes, about that, I heard from Neal that you have found your daughter? How is that going. You must be extremely happy."

A wide smile appeared on Cora's face as she took Daniel's coat from him and put it away, then led him to the living room. "Yes, we have found her, and I am more than happy indeed, as is Henry. She lives here with us with her son. She is pregnant, and like this we can help her take care of her son and other things. And it is all going very well so far."

"I'm happy to hear that. How is she taking all of this, and how did you find her?"

Cora frowned at the question and Daniel noticed how her eyes saddened just a little bit. "She doesn't know we are her family." Cora said. "It turns out she doesn't remember anything of her life in the Enchanted Forest or her life with Neal in Neverland for that matter."

Now it was Daniel's turn to frown. "Wait, what? Neal knew her already?"

Cora nodded. "Yes, it turns out that Regina ended up in Neverland after she fell through the portal, she stayed there for years before she came to this world, but she seems to have lost all recollection of it. She met Emma and Neal in a foster home, that's how she came here. She had some..personal problems...and came here to get her life back on the rails again."

Daniel was surprised to hear Cora say her daughter's name was Regina. It reminded him of that one night months ago. "Funny. " He therefore said. "One moment I know no one named Regina, and now I know two. But that must be hard on both of you. Living with your daughter but being unable to tell her."

Cora nodded. "Yes it is, and I hope to tell her one day. I just haven't found the right time yet. I will have to tell her about magic and the curse and everything...that isn't an easy thing to do."

"If you want any help with that, I would be happy to help, if you need any proof explaining your...behaviour during the years before the curse, I mean." Daniel said with an awkward smile but he received a heartfelt smile from Cora in return as she put her hand on his.

"That's very kind of you Daniel. Now tell me, how are things really going with you? Have you decided yet where you want to work?"

Daniel frowned. No he hadn't decided anything at all. The past few months he had just continued his work at his practice in the city. Since that one night he had felt even more out of place though. This world wasn't really his world, he had grown up here, but it didn't feel like he belonged here anyways. Storybrooke was a little better, but here too he felt left out, with only Cora, Henry and Neal being able to make him feel like he belonged here. That feeling had only grown since he had met this Regina, because when he had been with her, he had felt extremely at ease. He had been terribly disappointed when she had been gone already when he woke up the next morning, he hadn't been able to say goodbye to her. That was why he couldn't get her out of his head, he thought, he hadn't be able to finish this small little chapter of his life. For a while he had played with the idea of tracking her down, just so he could see her once again, and say a proper goodbye to her. However, he hadn't acted upon that plan, thinking she would label him as a stalker, and that he didn't want to happen. So she lived on in his head, which caused that the only place he really wanted to go these past months was his bed, so he could be with her in his dreams, where he felt safe, and where he felt home.

"I've been thinking about it yes...however I didn't really decide upon anything yet."

Cora sighed. "Why don't you just come work and live here then, you stubborn boy. We have plenty of animals here that you can take care of and we have rather large stables...I'm sure your father..."

Daniel abruptly got up from the couch. "Yes well...my father is dead. So we don't know what he would have wanted." When he saw Cora's slightly shocked face he sat back down immediately again. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. Things have been...hectic lately..."

"It is okay Daniel. It's good to let these feelings out once in a while. I don't blame you. It must have been hard for you, your life here...what I put you and your parents through..."

Daniel opened his mouth to say Cora shouldn't feel too bad about that but was interrupted by loud noises coming from the hallway following a blonde woman and a woman with a pixie haircut entering the living room laughing loudly.

"O, Mrs Mills. We didn't know you were home...and that you had company." Snow said, a big smile still on her face from laughing, as her eyes fell on Daniel. "Regina said you would be working."

"It's okay Snow. I was supposed to be working but I left early, which was a good thing because Daniel stopped by unannounced."

"O Cora you _have_ to see what Snow made Regina buy for the baby! It's hilarious!" Emma now laughed, causing Cora to raise an eyebrow at the sudden outburst.

"Oh really? And where is Regina at this moment?"

"Toilet." Emma sighed. "Shopping with Regina is great fun, but you do have to have a great dose of patience, because damn it, the woman has to go to the toilet every two seconds."

"I heard that Emma!" A voice sounded coming from the hall. "I can't help it I'm pregnant!"

"Well, when I'm pregnant you will see, I won't have to go to the bathroom nearly as much as you do!" Emma yelled back. "By the way, hurry up. There is someone here you have to meet, a friend of your mother!"

They heard Regina laugh and then footsteps nearing, indicating she was coming their way. "And I can't let a guest of Cora wait of cou..." Her voice trailed off as soon as she laid eyes on this guest of the mayor, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

Cora wanted to ask if her daughter was alright but when she saw an equally shocked look on Daniel's face she decided to not ask anything yet. Snow sensed the same tension and wisely said nothing, only Emma of course didn't possess this great tact. "Uh..earth to Regina...are you still there? Because your staring is rather rude."

Snow and Cora closed their eyes and shook their head in frustration at Emma's words. "Emma!" Snow hissed.

Emma's words however seemed to bring Regina back to reality as the dark haired woman slowly started to shake her head, a low chuckle of disbelieve emerged from her throat. "No, no, no, no, no...this is not happening...I'm not going to put up with this now...this...this is some sick joke...I...I'm not doing this..." Was all she said as she set a step back.

Daniel finally found his voice back at these words and immediately got up from the couch. "Regina..." He started but Regina put her hand up to stop him.

"No." She said firmly. "Don't you 'Regina' me. You don't get to do that, because _I _am not doing this either." And with that she turned around and walked away.

Daniel just stood there for a few seconds, confused by Regina's cold words, even more confused by the fact that _his_ Regina was Cora's Regina. And in that moment it hit him...this Regina was pregnant...six months pregnant by the look of it... "Shit..." He breathed, and he then walked past Emma and Snow to go after Regina, leaving the other three adults behind in total confusion.

"Well that was...weird." Emma said. "What do we do now?"

"We follow them! I want to know what is going on!" Snow said.

"Don't get too excited, this isn't a soap opera Snow." Cora said dryly, but she did get off the couch and walked in the direction Regina and Daniel had gone. "They went outside." Snow said when she saw the open front door. "O wow Snow..that's so extremely perceptive of you, I totally see how you survived in that enchanted forest. You have..." Emma stopped talking as soon as the sound of loud angry voices reached her ear. "What on earth happened between those two..." She said as they now saw Regina standing in the front yard as Daniel was holding her arm, probably to prevent her from walking away.

"Let go of me Daniel!" Regina hissed.

"Not until you tell me why you are so mad at me." Daniel said firmly.

"I don't have to explain myself to you. Just go away. I'm not dealing with this right now." Daniel was slightly taken aback by the anger that he saw in her eyes, however behind it all he saw sadness and pain.

"And what is it you don't want to deal with then? What do I have to do with it?"

"Oh don't act like you are a fool! You did this to me! It was bad enough being a single mother of a five year old, but thanks to you I now am a _pregnant_ single mother of a five year old. You took advantage of me! This is all your fault!" She ranted.

Now Daniel was mad too. That was not how things had happened at all and she knew it. "That's not true and you know it." He said in a low voice, trying to control his anger.

"I don't take back what is the truth."

"That is not the truth at all and you know it Regina Mills!"

Regina shook her head irritated at his use of her last name. "What are you doing here anyways!?"

"As Emma said, I'm a family friend of Cora and Henry. What are _you_ doing here?"

"I am hiding from my old life, because everyone _left_ me because I got knocked up by a total stranger who took advantage of me when I was vulnerable and confused and drunk!"

"Would you stop with those lies!" Daniel now yelled. "I was much less drunk than you were and the way I recalled it you were practically begging me to sleep with you whereas I said no to you several times! And I remember a certain note stating several times that you didn't regret anything that had happened!"

"Because I didn't know you had got me pregnant back then!"

"And I could have known? Jesus Regina you're being completely unreasonable here!"

Regina shrugged. "I don't care. I can be, I'm pregnant. And it IS your fault that I'm pregnant! Because I took all necessary precautions; I was on the pill, which makes it for 99% per cent impossible to get pregnant. So mister I-know-everything-because-I-wasn't-that-drunk explain to me how I ended up pregnant!?" Regina yelled angrily.

"Well didn't your parents tell you how those things happen?" Daniel yelled back, immediately mentally hitting himself.

"No they did NOT explain that to me because I don't HAVE parents!" Regina yelled even louder and he now saw a tear falling down her face.

Both of them were quite for a while. "And you are sure it is mine?" He then asked and a gasp left his mouth when he felt her hand hit his cheek.

"How dare you even ask me that. I'm many things, but a _slut_ is not one of them." She hissed. They stared at each other again and Daniel noticed how her chest was heaving heavily because of her anger. Her hair was slightly dishevelled and her brown eyes seemed to be even darker than usually. At the same time he found her to be even more beautiful than the last time he saw her. Her face was fuller due to the pregnancy hormones and even though she was extremely angry in this moment, she seemed to be less depressed and less lost than the last time he had seen her.

Regina let out a loud huff of frustration. "What are you standing there looking at me! Are you trying to remember how ugly I am right now! Well admire your work, I'm as fat as an elephant and..." She couldn't continue her rant as he was suddenly standing right in front of her and he pressed their lips together. Regina didn't want to admit it but how she had missed those lips, the feeling of his lips on hers, his hands on her face. The kiss clouded her judgement and just for a moment she let herself melt into the kiss, but the moment he tried to deepen the kiss she pulled away from him, pushing him away in the process.

"What the hell do you think you are doing!?" She shrieked. "You can't just _kiss_ me, you're not allowed to do something like that!" Angry tears now streaming down her face as she made her way back to the house, realising she didn't really have another place to go. When she looked at the front door she saw Emma, Snow and Cora standing there with mouths agape and eyes wide of shock. "Oh there we have team 'eavesdropping' again, really unbecoming habit ladies!" She spat as she rudely made her way past the three and made her way upstairs. A loud bang of her door indicating she didn't expect anyone to follow her.

The hearts of the three women broke when they saw how Daniel turned around and saw the devastation in his eyes. Cora set a step forward. "Daniel..." She said in an unsteady voice. "Do you..."

But the man shook his head. "No...no...I'm just going to go for a walk..." He said and he turned around and walked down the path leading to the street.

"He doesn't have his coat with him." Emma stated dryly which caused Snow to shake her head. "Sometimes, I start wondering if you really are a daughter of mine."

Emma grinned. "But you love me anyways."

Snow laughed as she put an arm around her daughter as they followed Cora back inside. "Of course I do honey." She then turned around to Cora. "Should anyone go upstairs to check on Regina?"

Cora shook her head. "I speak from experience when I tell you that it's better to wait for her to calm down on her own first.."

"I second that." Emma said with a firm nod, however right after she had said that they heard a panicked cry coming from upstairs and a loud thud following. "On second thought..maybe we should go check on her after all." Emma said quickly as she sprinted up the stairs followed by her mother and Cora. "Regina, honey, are you alright? Can we come in?" Cora asked carefully when they reached her door.

"Regina if you don't answer now we're coming in, we're worried about you." Emma said when there was no answer coming from Regina.

When the response was silence once again Cora opened the door as Emma had said they would do. "Oh dear god!" The woman gasped at what she saw when she opened the door. She rushed into the room immediately kneeling down next to her daughter who was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"She's bleeding from her head." Snow gasped and she pointed at the back of Regina's head on the right were blood was visible.

"Oh my god, is she still alive. I don't know what to do." Cora panicked, and Snow too didn't really act, taken aback a little by this uncontrolled version of Cora she didn't really know.

"Ladies, calm down." Emma said firmly as she kneeled down next to Regina and took her wrist between her fingers to feel for a pulse. "She's still alive, just unconscious. As for that head wound, that looks worse than it is. Head wounds tend to bleed more heavily, that's why there is so much blood. She probably lost consciousness and then hit her head to the drawer here." And Emma pointed to the drawer that had a little blood on it as well. "However, we have to try to get her back to consciousness again and Snow you might want to call an ambulance right now. We don't know why she fell down, but it can't be good for her and for the baby."

Snow nodded and grabbed her phone to call an ambulance as Emma had told her to do. Cora now went to sit on her knees next to Regina's head softly touching her daughter's face. "Regina...dear...wake up, what happened to you." Cora said softly and at the touch Regina seemed to wake up indeed. She murmured incoherently before frowning. "Head...hurts..." She murmured.

"You hit your head honey. Snow is calling now for an ambulance, don't worry dear. Do you remember what happened?"

"No...tired...all day...stomach hurts...dizzy..." Regina sighed before she closed her eyes again. Cora looked over to Emma with worried eyes and was met by an equally worried look from the blonde.

* * *

"I came as quickly as I could." Henry said with little Henry walking next to him. "How is she?" He asked as he walked over to Cora, Snow and Emma who were all sitting in the waiting room.

Emma shrugged. "They're still examining her, but I expect Dr. Whale to come to us any minute now."

"What is wrong with my mommy?" Henry asked in a small voice as he now walked over to Cora and climbed on her lap, the boy had taken a great liking to the woman, which Cora was very happy with. "Your mommy hit her head very hard against the drawer in her room Henry, so now Dr. Whale is taking care of her." The boy nodded in understanding and then leaned against Cora. "So she's going to be better?"

"Yes, she is, Henry." Emma said with a smile.

"Did you find Daniel on your way over here?" Cora then asked her husband, but the man shook his head. "No, I didn't run into him, but I think he will find out we're all here when he finds the house to be empty. News travels fast in this town."

In that moment Dr. Whale entered the waiting room. All the adults immediately got up from their chair. "She's fine." Whale started. "Sheriff Swan was right in stating that it wasn't a big head wound, it just bled a lot."

Cora nodded. "But why did she fall down in the first place. She complained of dizziness and a pain in her stomach. Is everything alright with the baby?"

Whale frowned a little when he answered Cora. "Miss Mills suffers from what we call Preeclampsia. It's a condition that can start after the twentieth week of pregnancy."

"And what does that mean?" Emma asked impatiently.

"It means that her blood pressure is very high, her kidneys aren't functioning entirely as they should either due to this condition. It can cause dizziness, stomach ache, blurry vision and headaches among other things. Her face and hands are swollen as well, we ran some other tests and that showed that she indeed suffers from this condition. She had a small seizure, nothing really serious, due to the high blood pressure."

Snow clasped a hand to her mouth at this news. "What can you do about it?" Henry then asked.

"Well, the only way to really cure Miss Mills is by delivering the baby. However, she is only 25 weeks along so I'd rather not do that yet. Therefore she has to have absolute bed rest till she's completed full term."

"Does she have to stay here for that or can she go home?" Cora asked.

"We need to watch her closely, however we have limited space in the hospital at the moment so she can go home on one condition. There has to be someone to take care of her at all times. She's only allowed to leave her bed to go to the bathroom. So only if you can promise me there will be someone with her at all times I can let her go."

Cora nodded. "I will make sure that will be arranged. And there is absolutely nothing else we can do?"

"I'll give her some medicines to try to get her blood pressure down and prevent her from having any possibly more severe seizures in the future. Apart from that there is not much we can do. She has to be watched closely, I'll stop by every day to check on her. She mustn't get herself too worked up over things, that could be dangerous, but that's it."

The adults nodded in understanding. Little Henry then stepped forward to Whale. "Can I go to my mommy now?" He asked in a small voice. "Is she very sick?" He added to that, not having understood everything the doctor had said.

Whale bend down so he was at the boy's level before he started talking. "Your mommy is a little sick because your little brother or sisters is giving her a bit of a hard time. That's why she has to stay in bed until the baby is born from now on. And she will be tired a lot, so you have to be extra sweet to her, and be a little bit careful. But if you want to see your mommy now you can. I'm sure Mrs Mills will want to take you with her. Okay?"

The boy nodded in understanding, a serious frown on his face. "And you're going to make my mommy better again?" He asked and he nodded again at Whale's words of confirmation.

"Cora can we go to see my mommy now?" He then asked. "Of course, sweetheart. Can anyone else go in already?" She asked to Whale but the man shook his head. "No, two at a time, and not too long."

The mayor nodded in understanding and then took Henry's hand as they followed a nurse to Regina's room. When they entered the room Cora noticed how small her daughter looked in the big hospital bed, even though she wasn't that small at all with her baby bump. She had her eyes closed and hadn't heard them come in, Cora also saw what Whale had meant when he said her face was slightly swollen. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it herself. She got pulled out of her thoughts when she felt Henry's small hand squeezing hers tighter. "Why doesn't mommy move?" He asked in a small voice filled with fear. "Is she dead?"

"Oh no honey, of course not. She's going to be better, remember what Dr. Whale said? She is just sleeping dear, she is not dying."

Henry nodded and at these words he walked over to his mother and, standing on his toes, he softly placed a hand to his mother's cheek. The contact woke Regina and she smiled a tired smile when she looked into the brown worried eyes of her son. "Hey, my brave knight. How nice of you to come to visit me."

"You are not dying." Was all Henry stated. "The doctor said you are not dying. Ok mommy?" He said it as if he was asking her to agree with him and Whale not to die. A sob left her lips. "O sweet baby boy, I'm not dying. I'm just a little sick, but I'm not dying. I'm not leaving you okay?" The boy nodded in understanding and lifted himself even higher on his toes to be closer to his mother. Suddenly he felt two hands lifting him up entirely and placing him on the bed next to his mother.

"Cora...I'm sorry I'm so much trouble _again_." Regina said in a thin voice while she pulled her son into her, who happily snuggled against his mother, while making sure he wasn't hurting her.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for dear. I'm just very glad you're okay now. I'll leave you two alone now. Seems like you can use some time together. I'll be back later, Mary Margaret, Emma and Henry are waiting to see you too."

Cora saw how Regina opened her mouth to ask something, but then closed it again, however Cora already knew what her daughter wanted to ask. "Daniel is not here dear. However, we are going to talk about him once you get out of here."

"No we won't." Regina said firmly.

"O but we will dear." Cora said.

Regina huffed. "You can't make me."

"O but I can. You're entitled to bed rest for another four months, you can't really go anywhere."

"Doesn't prevent me from not talking." Regina quipped.

Cora wanted to make another comment but was interrupted by Henry who wanted attention from his mother. "Mommy will you tell me a story?" He asked.

Cora just smiled as the stubbornness that had been visible in Regina's eyes only moments before was immediately replaced by a tenderness she had reserved for only her son. "Of course, baby. Cora was just leaving." And Cora, choosing not to contest that statement, did as she was told and left the room.

As she made her way towards the waiting room again she ran into Daniel in the hall way, he looked slightly panicked and quickly walked over to her when he saw her. "Where is she? Is she alright? What happened? Is the baby okay?"

Cora was slightly taken aback by the worry she read in his eyes. "Daniel, come with me. You can't go in there right now. She has to rest, and she's spending some time with her son now."

"No I want to see her." He countered, again with that great worry in his eyes.

"I don't think that is a good idea, Daniel. I don't know what happened between the two of you, or actually have an idea, but she can't exert herself too much and she will if you have an argument like the one you had earlier today."

"But I just want...I _need_ to see if she's okay." Daniel continued stubbornly, and then Cora saw it in his eyes. Just a second, a very short moment, but it had been there nonetheless, _love_. "You _love_ her..." Cora breathed in shock, and a smile appeared on her face when she saw how Daniel's face turned slightly red.

"I...I think I do...even though it seems to be unrequited. But even then..she's carrying my child...I don't care if she doesn't love me..I'll love them.._both_ of them..."

"O dear boy, I wouldn't give up the hope on her returning your love just yet. She's a Mills woman, she's stubborn, it will take time...She's badly damaged by her past, but if you can be as kind to her and gentle as you're talking about her right now, then she might make you a very lucky man one day..." Cora said softly.

"Now come with me tothe waiting room so I can tell you what happened."...

* * *

**Giant chapter here! I'll reread tomorrow! It's late now and I'm tired x"). Please send me a review! I also need to start thinking of a fitting baby name..so if you have any suggestions you can tell me ****.**

**x**

**Metope**


	12. Chapter 11

**XI**

"Neal!"

"By the look on your face I can tell that you're happy to see me, how are you?" Neal asked as he grabbed a chair and went to sit next to the bed Regina was lying in.

"I'm _very_ happy to see you. You have no idea how boring it is to lie here day in day out doing nothing but watch some television, read a little, listen to some music." Regina sighed.

"I thought Cora and Henry were taking great care of you, but it's that boring hm?"

"O but they do, they are so nice to me. They could have left me in the hospital after all." Regina said. It's just...when Doctor Whale said there should be someone to take care of me at all times they took that very seriously... Cora is constantly checking on me, she works mostly from home now and when she has to go out she makes sure Henry can look after me." And things between her and Cora were a bit awkward lately since the Daniel-incident. Regina didn't want to talk to Cora about it, especially now she knew Daniel was a friend of the Mills'. Also, she hadn't seen Daniel since that one day and was planning on keeping it that way until she had figured out what to do.

" So I'm actually quite happy that both of them had somewhere else to be today so you had to come 'babysit' me." Regina smiled up at Neal and held her hand out for Neal to grab it.

"But I thought Emma and Snow stop by from time to time to keep you company too?" Neal asked as he gently swung their hands back and forth a little. They used to do that back in the foster home. They would both climb on one of the big bunk beds who were placed so close next to each other that they could held hands and swing them back and forth while they would talk about all sorts of things.

"Yes they do, but they have their own lives, so they don't come that often, and after four weeks just lying here I just miss being outside, I miss actually _doing_ something. And then to think I have at least one month to go yet."

Neal chuckled, he could imagine doing nothing was driving Regina crazy. She wasn't someone for just lying down and relax, she always had to do _some_thing. "And what does Dr. Whale say? Are you and the baby alright?"

The brunette nodded. "Yes, I'm feeling great actually. I have wobbly legs when I have to get up to go to the bathroom, but if you ask me that's caused by lying here doing nothing for so long. Whale comes to check on me every one or two days, and so far he's very pleased with how I'm doing."

"That's good to hear, Gina." Neal replied.

"Gina?" She asked raising an eyebrow. "What is that for monstrous way of molesting my name?"

Neal held his hands up in the air as a sign he meant no harm. "Won't happen again miss." He said jokingly.

* * *

**59 years ago**

"_Bae! Bae! You have to come! Quick!"_

_Baelfire put the wood he had been carving down and climbed down from the tree he had been sitting in. "What is it, Tom?" _

"_We've found someone. A child. A __girl__." The boy, the smallest but also the quickest of all the lost boys, said and Bae couldn't help but laugh at the way he wrinkled his nose in disgust as he said the word girl._

"_A girl? Really, are you sure?"_

_The boy nodded with big eyes. "Yes, we were just practicing our fighting skills, you know, for when Hook comes again and then suddenly we heard a low grumbling sound and the next thing we saw was a girl falling down on the ground out of nowhere. She was crying...actually..I think she still is crying, for she was still doing so when I left and no one could make her stop. Not even Paul, and he is the kindest." The boy rambled._

_Bae nodded, a frown on his face, what Tom was describing sounded as if the girl had come through a portal, like himself. "Well then let's go and figure out where this girl came from, shall we?"_

_When Tom had brought Bae to the place they had found the girl he saw a group of six boys standing around a small opening in one of the many caves of Neverland. "Well where is this girl then?" He asked out loud and all the boys turned around at once._

"_She's hiding in the cave, Bae." One said._

"_She hasn't said anything so far." Another._

_Now Paul set a few steps in Bae's direction. Paul was only a few year younger than Bae was, the kindest of all of them as Tom had rightfully said already, and also very smart. "She's crying Bae. I think she is very scared, she is still very small, I think she's not older than Tom."_

"_I'm five!" Tom said proudly._

_Bae nodded in understanding. "Boys, I want you to go to the camp and prepare dinner for nine people, for I think we'll have a guest joining us tonight. That is, if I can get her to come out of that cave."_

_The boys nodded obediently and ran off making their way to the camp. Bae now went to sit down on his knees in front of the cave to see this girl for himself. He could hear a soft sniffing coming from the cave, but it was too dark to really see something._

"_Hey." He said gently. "Are you okay?"_

_No response._

"_I'm Baelfire, but everyone here calls me just Bae. That's shorter." Still all that could be heard from the cave was a soft sniffing._

"_You know. We have a camp here. It's secret, we hide it so the pirates can't find it. I could take you there, so we can talk properly, eat something. You will be safe there. We won't harm you. We're with eight, all boys, you would be the first girl here, you know. But then you do have to come out of there."_

"_I heard from Tom that you just appeared out of nothing...sounds like you fell through a portal." The sniffing stopped for just a second, but it didn't go unnoticed. "Did you go through a big purple whirlpool by any chance?" The boy asked, testing his theory. "Because that is how I ended up here. I fell through one years ago. I am from the Enchanted Forest, I used a magic bean to open a portal and it brought me here."_

_Suddenly he heard sounds coming from the cave indicating the girl was moving and then he felt a small soft hand touching his own hand. Slowly he saw dark brown locks being held together by a purple bow becoming visible as the girl moved towards him._

"_Then do you know how I can go back to my Mommy and Daddy?" The girl asked in a small voice and she looked up at him with dark brown eyes full of tears._

* * *

"Sounds like Mayor Mills is home again, that's my cue." Neal said when they heard the front door opening and the sound of heels clicking on the marble floor of the hall.

"Oh no, do you have to? You only just got here and I was having such a fun time talking to you." Regina whined.

Neal laughed. "I also have a life of my own, lady. As a matter of fact, it's almost dinner time and I promised to take Emma on a date and I don't want to be late."

Regina gasped. "Well, look at you being all romantic. Where are you taking her?"

"Don't know yet." Neal replied but Regina could see he was lying and that he just didn't want to tell her.

"Ah come one Neal. Please tell me! It are these things nowadays that I live for as I can't go out myself, please?"

Neal chuckled. "Fine, but you can't laugh if you think it's stupid or something."

"I won't. I promise."

"I was planning on just going to Granny and – you said you wouldn't laugh!"

"Technically I said I wouldn't laugh if I thought it was stupid." Regina laughed. "And this idea of yours isn't stupid, it's hilarious, so I'm laughing."

"I hate you." Neal mumbled.

"I hate you too. I can't stop laughing and I'm getting way too excited like this, that's not good for my blood pressure." Regina laughed, pressing her hands to her face in order to calm herself down. "I'm sorry dear." She said after she had somewhat succeeded in doing so. "I – uh..I had just expected something a little bit more romantic."

Neal shrugged. "Well then what do you suggest? Emma is not you, you know, she's not so...so..."

"Thin ice mister Cassidy..."

"I was going to say_ girly_, so no thin ice at all Miss Mills."

Regina chuckled. "Fine, fine, you're right. But still, even women like Emma like a little bit of romance from time to time. Why don't you cook for her yourself? Invite her over to your apartment, cook for her there..candles...soft music..."

"Cook for her my_self_?" Neal asked incredulously.

"Well yes! I know you can cook. You sometimes cooked for us in the foster home, you were great at it."

"But that was just spaghetti...stuff like that, nothing special." Neal mocked.

"Spaghetti is great." Regina countered. "It's the gesture that counts, everyone likes spaghetti and you can't really do something wrong with it. I say go for it."

"Yes?" Neal asked insecurely.

"Yes." Regina replied firmly. "Now go, stores are still open so you can still do the groceries you need for it."

Neal smiled at her. "Yes sir!" He said as he got up from his chair now and bend over to press a kiss to Regina's forehead. "You hang in there 'kay?"

Regina smiled back at him. "I will dear."

"Cool." Neal replied as he made his way out of the door, however in the doorway he turned around. "O, now I'd almost forget this, but my dad asked me to tell you to call him." Neal saw Regina's face twitch for just a second, but it was enough for him to raise suspicion. "Why...why does my father need you to call him?"

"O nothing of importance." Regina said waving her head as to emphasis the futility of the matter.

"Everything my father does and wants is of importance." Neal countered. "Did you...does he want something from you? Did you strike a deal with him, o please tell me you didn't do that Regina."

Regina sent Neal a diplomatic smile. "Your father is just giving me some legal advice dear. You know, because I still have that case Eleanor has started against me running. Nothing more. He's helping me figuring out what lawyer I should hire." She lied.

Neal nodded slowly. He wasn't entirely convinced, but the story did sound plausible, and his father was trying to change after all, so maybe there was nothing behind all of this. "Ok. Just checking."

"That's okay. Now off with you before the shops are closed!"

* * *

"_Ah Miss Mills, I see my son told you I needed you to call me."_

"Yes. Do you have news?" Regina asked bluntly.

"_I do indeed. As a matter of fact, I think we have come to an understanding."_

"O really, that's good to hear." She tried to sound as neutral as possible, every conversation with this man was a game, a game you could win or lose, and she wanted to win.

"_Yes, yes. I need you to come over to my shop this evening, dearie. Mrs. Blanc and her lawyer will be here to confirm our agreement and you need to sign the contract."_

"What did you settle upon?"

"_Well, I did the best I could, and you lost a little bit more than I wanted you too. But if it means you can keep your boy I figured it wouldn't be a problem to you."_

"Just tell me."

"_They get the house, all the money Mister Blanc left you, as well as little Henry's trust fund."_

Regina couldn't help but sigh at this statement. "That's practically everything I have, I'll only have my car left after that."

"_I did the best I could dearie. They wouldn't settle for less."_

"I understand...well..then that's what it is going to be. However I can't come. I'm entitled to bed rest and being observed constantly by either Madam Mayor or her husband."

"_Let me take care of Cora, dearie. If you make sure you're ready at seven I'll make sure she won't be there to prevent you from going. I'll be at the house at seven to pick you up."_

Before Regina could say anything else Gold had hung up the phone, she sighed in annoyance and glanced at the alarm. 06:30 PM. Well Gold, whatever it is you've planned you must be quick because with this belly it will take me a while to get dressed, she thought. However just at that moment Cora entered her room.

"Regina dear. There's been an break in at the office. I _have_ to go there to see what happened. However, Henry isn't home yet with your son. He called me that he is having dinner with Henry at the diner."

Regina nodded in understanding. "It's fine Cora, you can go. I'll be fine. I've been doing great today. I can miss you for a while."

Cora send her a grateful smile. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She said as she hurried out the room again.

Regina couldn't help but smirk a little. Gold sure knew how to plan these things. Poor Cora though, she thought, the woman was panicking over a break in that was as fake as fake could be.

* * *

"Ah there you are, I was already worried you wouldn't come." Gold said while he opened the passengers door for her.

"You try getting dressed with a large belly like this one." Regina puffed as she thankfully let herself sit down in the car seat, leaning her head against the head rest. Walking had been more difficult than she had expected and she felt exhausted already.

"I'll make sure we make this quick." Gold said as he started the car, noticing that the woman next to him was having a hard time.

"Just drive." Regina breathed.

.

.

"Why don't you go stand behind the counter." Gold suggested when they entered the shop. "That way you can lean on it when the standing becomes too much." He explained.

Regina nodded in agreement, it was no use pretending like she wasn't feeling horrible. She knew the man could see she was having a hard time walking in a straight line, and she was actually quite grateful when she felt how he took her arm and helped her walk to the counter. "Thank you." She said softly. "I'm very dizzy."

Just then Eleanor and her lawyer entered the shop. Gold walked away from Regina to the two. "Mrs. Blanc, how kind of you to come. I have the contract with me here, it's lying on the counter. I suggest the four of us read through it carefully, sign it and then things are settled."

Eleanor said nothing to the man and walked straight over to Regina and the counter, staring at the brunette, who on her turn stared back just as determined to not break eye contact.

"Regina." The woman finally said and Regina replied with a short nod.

Eleanor's lawyer and Gold now joined the two women and carefully explained everything that was in the contract to them.

"My, my, I hope that your time at that bank earned you _some_ money, because it seems like you'll be losing a lot here dear." Eleanor quipped.

"Losing Henry, that would be losing a lot, even more than a lot, Mrs. Blanc. This...this is nothing. You can have it." Regina said coldly, trying to give as strong a performance as she was capable of in her current state of health.

Eleanor smirked as she picked up one of the pens lying on the counter and signed the contract. "Well, then have it your way dear." She said.

Regina replied by signing the contract herself. "Indeed. I'll have it my way. Now please leave, I don't believe you have any business here anymore."

"That arrogant attitude will disappear soon enough once you realise how much you've lost right now, darling. What are you going to do without money? Where are you going to go with _two_ children and _no_ means to take care of them?"

"That's enough. Our business are done. Now please leave my shop." Gold interrupted the conversation before either women could say anything else.

Eleanor smirked at the man. "Of course. It was a pleasure doing business with you Mister Gold." She said and then left the shop as she was asked to, followed by her lawyer.

The moment the door closed after them Regina let herself fall down on the counter.

"Are you alright Miss Mills?" Gold asked, slightly worried. He felt how the otherwise so strong magic field that hang around the woman was now weak and unstable.

"Yes..yes...I'm just...exhausted and...dizzy."Regina panted. "Could you...could you please take me home again?"

* * *

When Cora came home again and walked up to Regina's room to tell her that she was back she didn't find her daughter in her bed. She panicked when she also found the bathroom door being unlocked and the bathroom empty. After searching through the entire house she decided that Regina was officially not home, and quickly she called her husband to tell him they had a problem.

When the doorbell rang she hoped it to be Regina but instead was met by Neal and Emma.

"I take it my husband told you Regina is missing?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. Mister Mills is now dropping Henry off at Snow's so she can take care of him while we start looking for her. He'll be here in a few minutes."

However the door bell rang again and when Neal opened it Henry entered.

"It's a good thing David is with Snow and that I'm here, because you, mister Mills, have driven much too fast to be here now already." Emma joked, which earned her an amused smile from Henry.

"Dear, are you sure she is nowhere here?" Henry the asked as he walked over to Cora.

The brunette shook her head. "I'm very sure she isn't here. Her nightgown is even lying on her bed, she left the house."

"Neal." Emma now said. "You were with her for the entire afternoon, was there something she said that might indicate where she is right now?"

Neal frowned. "Not that I know off. We talked about nothing and then..she gave me advice on how I should prepare for my date with you."

"Oh I pulled you from your date, I'm so sorry." Henry apologized.

"It's okay." Emma said. "This is more important."

"Ok we have to decide now what to do." Neal now said. "I think that it's best if we split up. Henry and Cora you start looking in the direction of the diner and Emma and I will start searching in the woods."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "Maybe I can call my father to ask..." Neal's voice trailed off as he realised something.

"To ask what Neal?" Emma asked.

"I know where she is.." Neal then said and the worry in his eyes was clearly visible. "This afternoon my father asked me to tell Regina to call him. When I asked her why she needed to do that she said it was because he was giving her some legal advice with the case about Henry's custody...She must be there now...she must have struck a deal with him or something."

"If that's true that imp will pay." Cora said furiously, she wanted to continue her rant when Emma suddenly held her hand up. "Wait, do you hear that?"

As soon as Cora stopped talking they could hear the engine of a car, voices and then a door slamming shut after which the car seemed to take off again as the sound faded. It was silent for a while but then they heard someone trying to unlock the door from the outside.

Quickly Cora walked over to the door and when she opened she saw Regina standing there with her keys in her heads, she was leaning against the doorpost to hold herself op. A gasp left her lips as she was startled by the sudden opening of the door. "Regina, where have you been, o dear god!" Cora exclaimed as she helped her daughter inside who leaned heavily on the woman with every step.

"I was...doing nothing, I was..."

"...at my father's shop." Neal finished for her. "And don't lie and say that you weren't."

Regina now pulled away from Cora and leaned against the wall instead, taking in the people present. "What are all of you doing here." She asked trying to sound as nonchalantly as possible

"No, you don't get to ask the questions here right now, Regina. What the hell were you thinking?" Emma asked angrily.

"I- That's none of your business."

"It is when you give all of us a heart attack with your sudden disappearance, dear." Cora said dryly.

"What where you doing over at the pawn shop Regina?" Neal now asked.

Regina didn't answer which annoyed all people present even more. "Regina, what you did was very irresponsible. Not only did you make all of us worry, but you also didnmt think of taking care of your child. You –" Cora started.

"That is is _exactly_ what I was doing." Regina hissed. "All I was doing was to protect my child. So that woman wouldn't take him from me. And now all problems are solved so I would very much like to go to lie down now, thank you very much." And she set a few steps towards the stairs, however her way was blocked by Henry this time.

"Regina, I want you to answer this question truthfully." The man started. "Gold never does anything for free. What did you have to promise him for his help?"

Regina stared at the man for a while and then let out a cynical laugh. "Nothing important. And what is the matter anyways. I'm sorry but I don't really get why everyone is making such a big deal out of this."

"We're doing that because you made a _deal_ with _Gold_, Regina." Emma said.

"So? Everyone kept telling me I shouldn't go to him but at the same time _no one_ was able to help me with this but _him_! And of course he isn't the nicest of persons, one should be blind not to see that. But how stupid do you think I am? I know how to play the games his kind plays, he wouldn't have helped me in the first place if I didn't!" Regina now practically yelled, anger flaring in her eyes.

"We've been _nothing_ but supportive to you! We've helped you with everything! So what on earth makes you think we wouldn't want to help you with this problem, and that you had to go to that horrible man!" Henry said raising his voice.

Emma and Neal were taken aback by the sudden anger the man was showing, they knew him as a quiet, kind and gentle man. Only Cora had seen her husband like this, and only once, decades ago when Regina, four years old, hadn't obeyed her father and had climbed into a dangerous tree, almost falling out of it. When she had come down from it he had been so extremely mad at her, his worry for her safety, the thought that she had been in such great danger translating itself in anger.

"That is _not_ what I said!" Regina yelled back. "I didn't say you _wouldn't_ I said you simply _couldn't_. As I said, this had to be played dirty, and you're all team goody-two-shoes here! Now I only lost my house and all the money Leo left me, if I would have let you help I would have lost my _son_!"

"You think that's the only price you paid? What about your end of the deal you struck Regina! Nothing is what it seems with that man, what did he make you promise!?" Emma now asked as she too set a step closer to Regina.

"I owe him a favour! Nothing more nothing less, how bad can that be!" Regina yelled. It was silent for a few seconds as everyone let the meaning of Regina's words get through them. Cora shook her head in sadness and Emma let out a frustrated sigh. Regina looked confused at the devastated expressions on everyone's faces and when she looked back at Henry again she was taken aback by the anger and frustration she saw in those eyes. She didn't understand. She just wanted to go to sleep, she was so tired, and she felt so sick, and all this arguing wasn't good for her baby or her blood pressure for that matter.

"Why would you do that?" Neal asked in a low voice and then yelled again. "Why would you agree to such a deal, Regina! Tell me why you would get yourself into so much trouble if we could have helped you just as well!"

"_Why aren't you pregnant yet Regina? Tell me? What is wrong with you? Why don't we have a child yet? Are you secretly preventing us from having one? Is that it? Are you that vile a woman? Of course you are. That's it isn't it?"_

"Answer us Regina!" But Regina just stared at the man in front of her with wide eyes. Cora noticed that something had changed inside Regina, she could see it in the woman's eyes and so she stepped forward to try to calm her husband down.

"Neal, Emma, Henry, please take a step back. This is not going well."

"_Leo, please calm down. That's not the case at all. I – I don't know why I'm not pregnant yet. I will go to the doctor again tomorrow okay?"_

Henry shook his head. "Why – Why would such a smart woman like you do such a foolish dangerous thing!"

"_You are stupid Regina! What is wrong with you! You're lying!" He set a step closer to her. "I'm so extremely mad at you right now! You're useless!" He came even closer, raising his hand in the process, she knew what would happen next._

"No Cora let go of me." Henry growled angry as he raised his arms to shrug Cora off, and that was the last straw for Regina as she let out a loud whimper of fear.

"Please don't hit me in my face, then I can't cover it up!" She whispered.

At those words everyone in the hall froze. Henry lowered his arms, immediately pulled out of his anger. "What did you say?" He asked confused.

"Please don't hit my face, then I can't cover it up." Regina repeated. "I can wear long sleeves, but in my face...I can't cover it up, make-up won't do it...so please Leo...don't...if you want to hit me you can...but not...not in my face..."

Cora clasped a hand to her mouth in shock as she watched how her daughter looked at Henry with such fear.

"But why would you think I would do something as horrible as hitting you, Regina. I would never do that." Henry now said. "I'm not Leo, I'm Henry."

Those words seemed to get through to Regina and she blinked a few times in confusion. When she saw the four adults staring at her in the hallway she knew she had made a mistake. She had mixed things up, confused reality with old memories.

"I – I'm sorry..." She stammered. "I was...confused, I ..." She didn't finish her sentence, instead walked past Henry and made her way up the stairs with the last bit of strength her body possessed. Cora, Emma, Neal and Henry exchanged shocked worried looks, not really sure what to do.

"I think I'll go after her to help her into bed and try to calm her down. You can wait with Henry in the living room." Cora said and then made her way upstairs.

She found Regina lying curled up on her bed, staring blankly into nothing. "I'm sorry." She said to the older woman as soon as she heard Cora enter.

"It's okay honey. It's okay." Cora said as she went to sit on the bed next to Regina.

The brunette shook her head. "I shouldn't have left without letting you know. I should have told you about Gold...It's just...I didn't see another way...there _wasn't_ another way."

Cora hesitated a little but then reached out to softly stroke Regina's hair to comfort the woman. Regina's body went rigid at the touch at first, but quickly relaxed again as she found Cora's touch to be comforting and calming her down. "You're right, you should have told us. But what's done is done. I - just know I understand your motives for turning to Gold, but please Regina, _please_ promise me you will stay as far away from that man as possible from now on. It's bad enough that you owe him a favour now. He's caused you so much pain already, there's no need for more."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked confused and Cora realised she had let herself slip. "Hm..nothing...I just mean...look at you, you're exhausted and sick, all because he made you go over there."

"Oh. Yes...I...I'm feeling rather sick now indeed. I wasn't in such a good shape as I expected I would be." Regina replied and Cora was glad Regina didn't think more of what she had just said about Gold.

"Well then you should go to sleep now. I'll call Dr. Whale to tell him to check on you first thing next morning."

Regina sent Cora a tired smile.

"Come." The older woman said in response. "I'll help you change."

* * *

**There you go. Giant chapter of 5000 words and you'll have to do it with that for at least a week **** I have final exams coming up, and I need to finish my thesis and then graduate and everything so I'll be busy for a while :O! **

**Please leave reviews for this chapter because I am terribly insecure about this one! **

**x**

**Metope**


	13. Chapter 12

**XII**

* * *

Cora let out a sigh as she stared into the dark night while rain was lashing against the double glass of the large windows of the mayoral mansion. It was one of the first days of November and autumn was showing its power through rain that never seemed to stop and a wind blowing so hard it was hard to not be blown away.

"What is it dear?" Henry asked as he came to stand behind her softly rubbed her arms up and down with his hands, knowing the gesture was comforting to her. He was proven right when she leaned in to him and let herself rest against him.

"I have the feeling things are getting out of control." She then said.

"With Regina?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, she's not okay. Not physically, not mentally. She still hasn't talked to Daniel, it's not fair to him. Doctor Whale is planning on delivering the child within two weeks, and she still hasn't said anything to him at all."

Henry nodded thoughtfully. "We can't force her." Was all he said, he didn't really know a better answer to the question either. "You can invite Daniel, it's not like she can go anywhere. But it will only anger her, and that will cause stress that she can't have in this state."

Cora nodded in agreement. "And then there is the matter of the townspeople." She continued. "Besides the Charmings we haven't really told anyone she is our daughter. Neal, Gold and Miss Lucas know of course... And the fact that the werewolf does means there are rumours going around in town."

Henry had to smile at the way Cora addressed Ruby, old habits die hard. "You're afraid she will find out before we have had the time to explain to her?"

"Yes. In a way it's a good thing she has been entitled to bed rest for this long a period, that way she hasn't been the victim of nosy towns people…_yet.._"

"How do you want to tell her then? And when?"

"We can't do it now, not while she's in such a fragile state. We will just have to make sure that no one will talk." Cora stated firmly.

"That won't be easy. They're warily about this situation." Henry said, he had picked up some of the rumours too. The fact that Cora still was allowed to be the mayor of Storybrooke after what she'd done, didn't mean that all townspeople liked her. Some of them were still afraid of her and saw Regina as a threat.

"I know. They see me as a threat, and therefore see Regina like that too. Afraid she will be a powerful sorceress, that I will corrupt her or that she has been corrupted already. They don't really care about me or her, they just want to know what she can or will do to them, and if she has magic." Cora phrased Henry's previous thoughts exactly.

"And does she?" Henry asked curiously.

Cora nodded. "I think she has. I know she's very susceptible to it, she could see magic already at the age of five. However, now I haven't used magic in so long, almost over a year now, I'm less receptive to it. I can't sense it as well as I could, because I never had magic in me, I learned it, I learned the dark arts. Not like Regina, who seems to be born with it somehow.." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head shortly to get back to the point she was trying to make. "The thing is, I can't really tell now anymore whether she still has that magic or not. I do sense _something_ but that could also just be a connection I feel because she is my daughter."

Henry nodded in understanding. "I see. Well let's hope she doesn't have magic then."

"Because all magic comes with a price.." Cora said in agreement. "But that still leaves us with the question what to do with the townspeople."

"Why don't you organize a meeting? Invite everyone and then address the problem right there. The sheriff and Mr. Cassidy will be able to back you up, stating Regina means no harm at all."

Cora nodded hesitantly. "I might just do that, yes. That is actually a very good idea." She said with a relieved smile on her face as she turned around in his arms. "Thank you." She said as she pecked a kiss to his lips. "Thank you," She repeated herself. "For always being there, even in my darkest moments, even when I don't see a solution to the problems anymore."

Henry just smiled back as he tightened his arms more around his wife. They didn't often have a moment like this together. Cora rarely showed herself this vulnerable to him. He knew she was, of course he knew, she was his wife, he loved her just as much as she loved him, and after all these years and all they had been through they knew each other thoroughly well. But openly showing this vulnerability was another thing. And he loved it when she did it, because it meant she fully trusted him, that she trusted him and that she loved him, just as he loved her.

Their moment together was broken when they heard tiny feet descending the stairs and a sleepy Henry entering the living room minutes later.

"Henry dear, what is it, you should be sleeping." Henry said softly to the boy.

"I'm scared of the storm." The boy said in a small voice while he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"O but dear, it's exactly as you say, just a storm." Cora said.

Henry shook his head. "But when there's a storm monsters try to enter my room through the window. I can hear them trying, and I can see their shadows."

"That's just the rain and wind against your window while the moonlight makes the shadow of tree branches look like monsters, Henry. None of it is real." Henry said as he walked over to the boy. "Come, I'll check your room for monsters for you and then you have to go back to sleep again okay?"

But the boy shook his head and ran past Henry to Cora where he wrapped his arms around her leg as to have her protect him. A wave of sadness washed over Cora as the gesture reminded her so much of what Regina used to do when she was scared. "No," the boy said. "Mommy always lets me sleep with her when there is a storm this big. But now mommy is sick so I didn't want to wake her." He sniffed. "Can't I sleep with you?" He then asked looking up at Cora.

Cora sighed, she knew she should say no now. It wasn't good to give in to this, not to say a bid weird in some way, and when she looked over to Henry she saw he was thinking the same. However, this was her grandson after all, and if he was this scared, what harm could one night do?"

And the moment Henry heard Cora sigh he knew his wife had given in to the brown puppy eyes that stared up at her. "Alright." He heard her say. "Just this night okay?"

The boy nodded happily. "Thank you auntie Cora." Cora smiled, the title was now so familiar to her that she didn't mind the boy using it anymore. "Well I think we all should go to bed then, it's very late already." Cora said. The five year old replied with a yawn after which Henry lifted him up from the ground and carried him upstairs.

* * *

"Hello Regina, how are you feeling?" Henry asked when he entered Regina's room to wake her but seeing she was already up.

"Bored to the core." Was the grumpy reply. "I can't sleep because I'm lying in bed all day already. My back hurts, my legs hurt and those exercises Whale gave to prevent that don't help in the slightest. I'm so done with this." She sighed.

Henry just smiled while he opened the curtains. "Ugh, and the weather has been horrible these past few weeks at well." Regina sulked when she saw the grey sky that was releasing even more rain than it had done the night before.

Henry nodded in agreement. "Seems like we will be having a heavy storm tonight by the look of it. Now," He said while he turned around to face Regina. "What could we do to improve your mood today?"

Regina shrugged. "Get this baby out of me, would be a good start."

"Maybe some company?"

Regina huffed. "And who would that be? With all due respect but I've seen you and Cora so much the past few weeks that I have the feeling there is nothing we haven't talked about anymore. Same goes for Emma and Neal, Ruby, Snow, David and even Henry doesn't really know what to tell me anymore. School life turns out to be not that interesting anymore after a few months after all."

"Well there's one thing we haven't talked about yet." Henry now said as he grabbed a chair and went to sit next to Regina. His daughter sent him a questioning look, telling him to continue.

"You still haven't talked to Daniel. I can imagine that conversation could provide you with some new entertaining subjects to talk about?"

Regina's eyes grew dark immediately when the name Daniel left Henry's lips, and she turned her head away from him. "Forbidden subject." Was all she said.

Henry shook his head, annoyed a little by Regina's reaction. "He's the father of your child Regina, he deserves to be a part in your child's life or to at least _know_ what your plans are."

Regina shook her head. "Who says he is the father."

Henry sighed. "We all know he is Regina. Don't you think you're being a little childish right now?"

"Don't you think you should be minding your own business?"

Henry stood up abruptly. "Alright, I see." He said shortly. "It's no use talking to you when you are like this."

"I guess not no." Regina snapped and Henry just shook his head, she was exactly like Cora when she was angry and knew she was in fact wrong. The best thing you could do was just let them be for now and try again later.

"I'm going to make breakfast for your son now. Know that Cora and I will be away this afternoon to a general town meeting. Everyone will be there."

Regina nodded. "Fine, I can do without a babysitter, I promise I won't walk away to pawnshops and scary men in business suits" She mocked him.

Henry just shook his head once more and then left the room.

* * *

"Dear people of Storybrooke." Cora started the meeting. "I think you all know why you are here on this stormy afternoon." When she was met by a silence indicating she had everyone's attention the mayor continued her speech. "There have been rumours going around town that I – that me and my husband, have found our daughter. Rumours that say that the woman that arrived to this town a couple of months ago together with her son and is an old friend of the sheriff and Mister Cassidy, is in fact our daughter. These rumours are true."

Immediately after this statement people started buzzing and it took a loud shout of Emma to get them quite again. "Please," Cora continued. "I understand that you might have some concerns but I can assure you that no harm comes from my daughter _or _me whatsoever. She is a single mother, pregnant, and my long lost daughter, nothing more."

"Where is she now?" Someone wanted to know.

"She is at home with her son. There were complications with her pregnancy due to which Doctor Whale has entitled her to bed rest until the baby has been born." The doctor nodded in confirmation.

"Ah yes, madam mayor. How is your daughter doing?" A voice now sounded from the back of the conference room and everyone turned around to see Mr. Gold sitting in a corner.

"O please, Mr. Gold, I would appreciate it very much as you would keep your misplaced concern to yourself." Cora snapped. "It was you who made her condition even more delicate, you knew how sick she was; your son told you and you let her come to your shop nonetheless."

Gold shook his head. "Contrary to what you may think, madam mayor, I'm not entirely heartless, and I truly am and was concerned for her well-being. I could sense she was very weak, the magic field around her that's usefully so incredibly strong was weak and unstable. She was very sick in that moment, so I just wanted to know if she's doing better now."

"So she does have magic then? That makes her dangerous!" Someone in the crowd now called.

Cora gasped and when she met eyes with Emma and Henry she saw equally shocked expressions on their faces, none of them knew Regina had magic. Cora shook her head. "People, please stay calm! My daughter does not have magic, and even if she does I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. I haven't sensed the least of it when I was with her and she has been living in my house for months now."

But Gold shook his head. "O dearie, there you are wrong. It might be that you can't sense her magic, but it's most certainly there. In fact, I have never sensed such strong magic before with someone who hasn't developed her powers…_yet_"

Cora shook her head. "No…you're lying, you're just trying to turn the town against me here."

"I'm not, dearie, and you know it." The town was quite now, all staring at the power struggle that was playing in front of them. "Do you really want to say that there has never been a moment, not even _one,_ in which you thought to sense some sort of magic radiating from her?"

Cora shook her head and wanted to say no when suddenly she realised something, Gold picking up on the sudden expression of realisation that washed over her face grinned. "I see you did."

"When she is in contact with music." Cora breathed. "When she listens to it, when she hums or sings, especially when she plays the piano _then_ I can sense it. I always passed it off as being nothing, as a sudden connection I felt with her because I am her mother…" Her voice trailed off.

"She's dangerous then!" Someone piped up, which made everyone fix their attention to the person who said this, taking it away from the former imp whose eyes had darkened at Cora's response. A heightened range of powers by the use of music could only mean one thing to him, and that was something he didn't like...he didn't like it at all…

"She'll cast some horrible curse on us the moment she finds out." Another said.

"We have to get rid of her before it's too late! "

Emma who had been observing all that was happening thought this to be the right time to intervene, and so she let a set of books fall to the table with a loud bang, silencing everyone in the process.

"Would you please stop it with all this nonsense?!" She hissed angrily. "Do you even hear what you are saying? It's exactly the same as when the curse broke. You let your fear control you, you don't even think straight. Didn't you hear what the mayor said? She does _not_ pose a threat to any of us. She is the mayor; you have to trust her for that. And if you can't then listen to me, your sheriff. I have lived with Regina in a foster home for five years, as did Neal, and we were friends. And believe me when I say there is no one more kind, gentler and friendlier than Regina. Sure she has a short temper at times, she is the daughter of our mayor after all, but she is not, I repeat _not_ dangerous. You don't even really _know_ the woman, yet you're all jumping to conclusions already. That was not what this meeting was about. This meeting was about asking all of you to not confront Regina with this. _That's_ what this meeting was supposed to be about. Because Regina doesn't _know_ she's the daughter of Mayor and Mister Mills. She doesn't know nor remember anything about her time in the Enchanted Forest or any other world she has lived in after that before she came here. And as much as the mayor and her husband want to _tell_ their daughter this, so they can be reunited for real, they can't. It would probably upset Regina too much, and in the fragile state she is in right now she can't have that. So instead of trying to _get rid_ of the woman that you don't even _know_ you should be ashamed of yourself. We all decided together to forgive mayor Mills for her deeds because she did it all out of love for her lost daughter, and we all said that it was in fact partly also Mr. Gold's fault that we ended up here. We decided to forgive both of them, and everything went fine for over a year. So I honestly don't understand how you can all turn against her, just now she has finally found her daughter, now she has finally found that what she was looking for, what she cast this entire curse for in the first place. Really…just…" Emma was looking for words now to express her disbelief and anger, but looking at the crowd she saw she had gotten her point through already so she just took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "That's it." She concluded.

Just as Emma was about to sit down again all people present were startled by a deafening noise and the sound of something crashing against the walls of the town hall. People shrieked in panic as the building seemed to shake. David immediately stood up to try to calm everyone down together with Cora and Henry as Emma made her way to the entrance of the town hall to check what was going on. However the moment she opened the door she didn't know how fast she had to close it again. She ran back to the conference room where everyone was relatively calm again. Quickly she walked over to her parents, Cora, Neal and Henry. "It seems we'll be stuck here for a while." She said. "There's a storm raging outside that looks a lot like…I don't know…an apocalypse to me. It's dangerous to go outside; we probably heard a tree breaking and falling down against the building or something."

Snow gasped and Cora too brought her hand to her mouth in worry. "Regina." She breathed. "Regina and Henry are alone and she can't go anywhere. She can't get herself to safety in this condition."

"Okay let me think." David said understanding the danger of the situation. If a storm like this was able to let the massive town building shake, and let trees crash, the mansion wasn't the safest place to be. "Is there anyone we know that's not here and might be able to get to Regina?"

Cora shook her head. "Not that I know of." She said. "Widow and Miss Lucas are here, as are Doctor Hopper, Marco and August. I think everyone is here."

"Oh! Daniel!" Snow suddenly exclaimed. "Daniel is not here."

"Daniel is not even in town." Cora said confused.

Snow shook her head. "No, no he is. He arrived this morning. Oh he looked so lost, the poor man. Has Regina still not talked to him? He does deserve to have a place in the child's life you know, he _is_ the father after all and – "

"Snow, get to the point. There's a storm raging outside remember, a storm that doesn't wait." Emma interrupted her mother.

"Oh yes right. Well, I saw him this afternoon when I was on my way to the meeting. He said he was going to the stables or something. Since he isn't here he might very well still be there, hiding from the storm or something. He's our only hope in that case." She concluded.

"I will call him immediately." Henry said.

"If you can even reach him." Emma piped up. "It might very well be that the storm makes it impossible to call anyone."

"I have to try." Henry replied, worry clearly audible in his voice.

* * *

Regina smiled while she was watching her son play with a few of his toy cars on the ground in her bedroom. She had asked Henry to come play here in her room. That way she could keep an eye on him and she wasn't so bored. She winced when the wind blew yet another wave of rain forcefully against her bedroom window. She didn't like storms; Henry had got his fear for storms probably from her. The storm seemed to be getting heavier and heavier too, the wind blowing more forcefully and the rain coming down harder. She hoped Cora and Henry would get home quickly and safely.

Regina brought her attention back to her son again while she lovingly stroked her belly. She would be so happy when this child was finally born; she was so done with this pregnancy. Then suddenly all the lights flicked off, Henry let out a scared whimper. He got up from the floor to go over to his mother to search for comfort when they heard a loud rumbling coming from outside as the wind blew angrily against the house, followed by the sound of a tree breaking and then a large crash and the sound of glass breaking. A scream of fear escaped from Regina's lips and she could hear Henry starting to cry. She didn't know what to do, she wasn't in any state to move, she couldn't really get out of bed but she had to get Henry to safety. Another loud bang could be heard and Regina winced again, after which she felt liquid run down her legs. Oh great, she thought, did she just pee her pants out of fear? But when a sharp pain in her abdomen followed she knew she hadn't peed her pants, instead her waters had broken.

Panic took over Regina's body. She had wanted this baby to be born as quickly as possible, _yes_, but not _now_, not in the middle of a raging storm that was destroying the house by the sound of it, while she was unable to protect herself or her son. What on earth was she going to do now?

* * *

**There you go a new chapter, yay :D! I'm very glad with the reviews you all left about the previous chapter ****. I don't know when I'll be able to update again, I wasn't supposed to be updating this story either. I have one exam left, will have that one this Thursday but I just couldn't bring myself to study anymore, all I've been doing since May 25****th**** is studying, so I gave myself an evening off today. After Thursday I will have to work on my thesis like mad woman because I have to finish the draft version by June 10****th**** and I still have to finish one chapter and write a conclusion xD. But aafter that, I'll be able to write more again and also to update my other story, "Nothing can Part us" and when I have the idea finished finally start my HookedQueen fanfiction, yaaay :D.**

**Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave me a review to tell me what you think : )!**

**X**

**Metope**


	14. Chapter 13

**XIII**

Whistling a happy song, Daniel made his way to the stables. He had a plan, _finally_. He had a plan, he knew what to do with his life, and so far everything seemed to go just as he wanted it. If Regina wasn't planning on going to him anytime soon, then he would just simple come to her.

And so he had not only recently bought himself a house in Storybrooke, but he had also bought the stables of the small town. He would start a new practice as a veterinarian, here, where he could be close to Regina and his unborn child, whether she liked it or not. He would be there for them. He didn't really blame Regina for not contacting him. This situation was confusing to him and if it was to him, he could only imagine how confusing and frustrating everything must be for Regina, whose pregnancy hormones were probably not helping her thinking rationally either.

After a few hours working in the stables, cleaning stalls out he noticed how some of the horses were getting restless, stamping their feet to the ground. Daniel frowned, trying to figure out what was causing this sudden change in behaviour. However when the doors of the stables slammed shut with a loud bang he knew what was going on. His suspicions were confirmed when he walked outside and looked up to a sky that was clouded by dark grey clouds and he felt a strong wind blowing, as large raindrops started to fall down. These were all signs that a heavy storm was coming up. Judging by the behaviour of the animals the storm couldn't be far away, heading back to Storybrooke would take too long and so Daniel went back inside the stables. He made sure all the doors and windows were closed and then made himself comfortable in the hay as – judging by its sound – the wind was seemingly trying to rip the wooden panels of the stable. He heard old trees break and the alarms of cars in the distance and then, suddenly also the ringtone of his mobile phone. Surprised that the thing had even picked up a signal in this storm, and curious to who was calling him at this moment he answered the call. However, the signal was shattered and although the caller ID had said Cora was calling him her voice was almost unrecognizable, as it was deformed by the distorted signal.

"Cora? Is that you? I can't really hear you, the storm is distorting the signal. Is everything alright?"

He heard nothing but a zooming noise and some of the words the signal managed to pick up through the storm, however what Daniel heard he liked in the least.

"…_.Home…..you have to….Regina…..bed…..go…..alone….."_

"Cora!" Daniel tried again. "What is it you're saying? I can't understand, what's wrong? Is something wrong with Regina? Where are you?" But all that Daniel heard was the beeping sound indicating the line was dead. Daniel sighed and stood up pacing up and down frantically thinking about what Cora's words would have meant, when suddenly it hit him.

He had ran into Snow earlier today, who had told him there would be a town meeting that afternoon, and all citizens were supposed to attend. Regina was entitled to bed rest, which only could mean one thing: Everyone was stuck at city hall while Regina was home alone in this storm, unable to protect herself. And as this realisation hit him he ran out of the stables, ignoring the rain that crashed against his face or the wind that was trying to blow him away, unaware of the tree branches that hit him as he was making his way to the mayoral mansion. From here that was a five minutes' walk, it would take longer now, and what he was doing was dangerous, but it didn't matter. Regina was in danger, _that's _what was important.

* * *

Henry was staring at his mother with big frightened eyes. His mother was sitting up now, bending slightly over, with one hand to her stomach, her eyes shut in pain as she grit her teeth so she wouldn't scream, something she desperately wanted as the pain was so strong.

"Mommy." Henry said in a scared voice. "What is happening to you? Are you hurt?"

Regina exhaled deeply and then looked down at her son with a pained smile. "Sweetie, don't be afraid. It's just….uhm…." In this state Regina had actually no idea how she could reassure her son that everything was going to be alright, she didn't even know how to make herself believe that. "…mommy's in a little bit of pain, because your baby brother or sister is coming…."She concluded, leaving the part out where she was fairly sure the storm had damaged a part of the house.

"But then shouldn't we go to the hospital? And shouldn't I stay with Henry like we planned?" Her clever son asked.

Regina sighed, the pain seemed to have subsided again for now and so she leaned back against her pillow again. "Yes, we should Henry. But we're home alone, remember? There's no one to help us here and with this storm we can't go to the hospital ourselves."

Henry walked over to his mother and put his small hand on the one of his mother that was resting on her belly. "So what do we do now?" He asked, brown eyes seriously staring up at his mother.

Regina let out a sob at the sight. "I don't know Henry. I really don't know." Her voice trembling with fear as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Don't worry mommy. I'll go find help for you!" The boy said determined as he ran out of the room.

"What? No, Henry! Wait, come back!" Regina yelled in panic, but her son didn't reappear in her room and moments later she heard the front door open and shut again which made Regina break down in a million sobs. "Henry, come back!" She sobbed, and she cried even harder when she heard the angry wind slamming against the window of her room. Her little boy was outside now in that storm, trying to find help, help that he wouldn't find. And when another contraction sent a wave of pain through her body she didn't even notice, as the fear for her son was a pain ten times worse.

* * *

When Henry stepped outside he was immediately blown straight into the rose bush next to the door by a strong wind. Quickly he got out of the bush, auntie Cora wouldn't be happy with him, he thought and then he made his way down the path to the street. The rain was hurting his face and he couldn't see very well through it and everything else that was floating in the air; tree branches, pieces of paper, leafs, and other trash all taken up in the air by the wind. And while he was standing there in the middle of the street, that seemed so empty apart from all the objects flying around him, he suddenly felt lost…lost and scared. Why wasn't there anyone on the streets? Where was everyone? His mother needed help! And just when he wanted to give up he saw a long dark shadow coming his way, first he wanted to run away from it, afraid that it would be a monster, but when the silhouette approached him he could see it was in fact a man. Quickly he walked over to the man, and the man, as soon as he saw the little boy, came running towards him too.

"Please, you have to help my mommy!" Henry yelled, almost all the volume he put in his words was immediately blown away by the wind, but the man seemed to have understood what the boy said. He lifted the boy up in his arms and together they made their way back to the house.

It was only now that Henry saw that a large tree had fallen on the left side of the house, crashing the roof and a part of the room – his room – underneath its weight.

When they both entered the house again and the man shut the door behind him Henry immediately felt much less scared, now at least the angry sound of the wind was less audible.

"Henry is that you!?" A panicked voice sounded from upstairs.

"Yes mommy! I found help!" The boy called to his mother. "Please, my mommy is upstairs, and my baby brother is coming and she needs to go to the hospital." Henry said in a scared voice. "Who are you?" He added to his first request.

"I'm Daniel, and don't worry Henry, I will try to help your mother the best I can, okay?" The boy nodded. "But I need you to do something for me." Daniel continued. "I want you to go to the living room, put on the TV and go watch some television with the volume turned up as much as is bearable to your ears, so that the only thing you can hear is the television."

Henry stared dumbfounded at the man in front of him, that was the weirdest thing he had ever been asked to do. Daniel, noticing the confusion in the boy's eyes softly put his hand to the boy's shoulder. "Only if you do that I will be able to help your mother, Henry. And if you turn up the volume you won't hear the sounds of the storm, so you won't get scared. Because if I need to help your mommy that also means you can't run to her when you get scared. Do you understand?"

The boy now nodded. "Good," Daniel said. "Then now go do as I said and remember, don't come upstairs, alright?" Henry nodded again and then made his way over to the living room. As soon as Daniel heard the loud sound coming from the television he made his way upstairs. If Regina was in labour indeed, then that would mean the baby would be born here and now, and he didn't need a five year old boy to hear the screams of pain of his mother.

When he entered Regina's bedroom – after having chosen the wrong room two times – he saw her sitting up in bed with a frantic look in her eyes. "Where is my son?" Was the first thing she asked, her voice thick with tears.

"Don't worry, he's alright. He is down stairs watching some television." Daniel calmed Regina down as he walked over to her and set a chair next to the bed to sit down on. "I found him standing on the street in front of the house. I got a call from Cora, the signal wasn't strong but she said something about you, and when I realised you were here probably all by yourself I immediately made my way over here. And according to Henry that's a good thing, because he says you're in labor?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, my waters broke." She said in a thin voice.

"When?"

Regina shrugged. "O, I don't know, I think maybe half an hour ago? It was when we heard a giant crash, I almost jumped out of my skin from shock and then it happened."

Daniel nodded. "Ok." He said. "Well, then I suggest you remove those blankets from your legs because I will have to see how far along you are already."

"Excuse me?" Regina asked astonished.

"Well, Regina. It may take a while before it will be safe enough to bring you to the hospital, and this baby won't wait. We might have to deliver the baby here."

Regina shook her head. "No, that's not…no I'm not….we…that…we can't do that…I don't know how…and you…_you_ are _not_ a doctor." She then said with more force. "And I'm not going to let _you…_.let you look….._down there_." She concluded.

Daniel couldn't help but laugh at her words. "Uhm, well newsflash, I've seen it '_down there_' already, remember? It's how you ended up in this situation in the first place."

"I hoped you were drunk enough to have forgotten by now." She quipped.

"Nope, sorry." Daniel teased.

Regina stubbornly turned her head away from Daniel as her cheeks flushed red. "Well, I will just hold that baby in, because I'm not going to give birth _here_, besides, there's quite a lot of time between the contractions, so the matter isn't that urgent yet either."

Daniel sighed, Cora was right, Regina was a Mills woman, she was stubborn. Stubborn and proud. Yet also vulnerable and in this moment extremely scared, he could see it in her eyes. He decided to not push the matter for now, if the contractions truly didn't follow each other up that quickly yet, as Regina said, then there wasn't something to worry about for now. "Well, suit yourself." He therefore said. "But just know, that I _do_ know how to deliver babies…I mean, I'm a veterinarian, and delivering animal babies can't be that different from delivering human babies."

Regina huffed. "Oh yes thank you for comparing me to an animal, what did you have in mind, an elephant?"

Daniel sighed again. "Regina you're pregnant, you're not fat."

"Yes I am. I've been lying on my back doing nothing here for three months, I'll never be able to get back my old figure after that."

"Even if you would have gained a hundred pounds or would be so large you wouldn't fit through the doorway anymore, I'd still think you're beautiful Regina. Don't worry about that, save your strength for more pressing matters." Daniel said softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Regina now looked back at him and stared at his blue eyes that were telling her he meant what he had just said. She sighed. "I'm sorry that I've been so mean to you, Daniel." She then said.

And at the sincere look she gave Daniel he knew she was true about what she was saying. "That is okay Regina. I wasn't too nice to you myself either. And I understand how confusing and scary all of this must be to you. You didn't expect to see me ever again, you had probably just come to terms with the fact that you were going to raise this baby alone, and then suddenly I pop up again. Not to mention that pregnancy hormones tend to cloud your judgement."

Regina chuckled. 'Yes, those hormones are really inconvenient at times. But still…" her face grew serious again. "…this is your child too. You have a right to be involved in its life just as much as I have, and I shouldn't have pushed you away."

Daniel now softly put a hand on Regina's belly; he felt her stiffening at the touch at first but then relax again when he caught her gaze with his eyes. "This is our child Regina. And even though these aren't the best circumstances under which I had wanted to become a father, I couldn't be happier that I in fact am going to be one very soon."

Regina smiled at Daniel's words but her smile formed into a pained grimace when a new contraction hit her body. In a reflex gesture she grabbed Daniel's hand with hers and squeezed it as she breathed her way through the pain.

"You're welcome." Daniel joked when the pain had passed again and she let go of his hand.

"I'm sorry." Regina blushed. "It's just, I don't want to be too loud for Henry, so…"

"Then the squeezing helps." Daniel finished. "Well you should know that I let him turn up the volume of the television to the maximum so there is not a chance in hell that he will be able to hear you screaming over the sound of the television."

Regina laughed. "And how loud is this maximum? Because I don't want him to end up with permanent hearing damage."

Daniel shook his head. "It's loud, but not that loud. Don't worry."

"Ok, I trust you on that." Regina chuckled. "Speaking of loud, did you happen to see what might have caused the incredible crash I heard earlier?"

Daniel frowned, he didn't know if he should tell Regina that they were at the moment residing in a house that had partly been shattered by a tree, making the rest of the house unstable and dangerous too. It would only upset her and add stress and that wouldn't be desirable right now. On the other hand, he couldn't really come up with a good excuse, and saying he didn't know would only make her continue to worry, which would cause stress as well, which meant telling the truth might be the best option after all.

"Well, the tree in the front yard has fallen down on top of the house by the strong wind. The roof is damaged and so is the first room that's underneath it."

Regina brought her hand to her mouth as she gasped. "O dear god, that's Henry's room. But then we're not well shielded from the storm at all! And you let my son sit downstairs watching TV, making him oblivious to what's happening around him, _alone?"_

"Regina, calm down, you have to stay calm in this condition!"

"How can I stay calm when you tell me Cora's house is practically destroyed!?"

"Now you're just exaggerating. Calm down." Daniel repeated. "It isn't like there's a giant hole in the house at this moment, and the tree is filling up the gap so the wind can't do much right now. As long as the door to that room stays closed we should be fine. I told Henry that he can't come upstairs, and the living room isn't situated under the room so even if the tree would crash further down he wouldn't be hurt. Okay?" He stared intently in Regina's eyes, holding her gaze with his as to calm her. It seemed to work as she slowly exhaled and nodded.

"Well this is just…great." She then said. "Everything is going wrong. I'm in labour in the middle of a raging storm and now I don't have a place to stay anymore either, because there won't be enough room for the three of us to stay with Cora and Henry. I have no money at all because the greedy family of my ex-husband took everything, so I officially have no place to go now. And now I'm rambling which is very unbecoming and which I shouldn't be doing." A tear made its way down her cheeks and angrily she wiped it away.

"Sssh don't cry." Daniel tried to sooth her. He didn't know how much she would tolerate. They slept together yes, but things had gone downhill from there, so he didn't know what she would accept from him. "Everything will be alright, just focus on one thing at a time." He said, taking her hands in his.

She stared at him with worried eyes. "How can you say that? Didn't you just hear what I said? I have no _money¸nothing_!"

"Well, you could come live with me? And before you start protesting, just hear me out. I bought a house, here in Storybrooke, recently. It has three bedrooms, so you can have one for yourself and your son can have one too. The baby can stay with you when it's small, and when it's older it can share a room with its brother. I'm totally fine with that and we can just live together as roommates, I have no other…expectations, if that's what you're worried about."

Regina sighed. "No, I can't do that. I would only feel guilty, I'm not some object of charity you know."

"Who said your stay with me would be for free then? You will have to pay for the rent. And I know you said you don't have the money but that's okay. After the baby is born you can start looking for a job, I'll have my own practice here so I'm my own boss, that way I can look after the baby a few days a week and you can work."

Regina was silent for a while. "You really thought this through..." She then said. "As if you have ordered that tree to fall on this house so I would have to move in with you."

Daniel chuckled. "Believe me, I did no such thing. However I do was planning on asking you to move in with me, all be it under different circumstances. I want to be a part of the life of this baby, Regina, I really do."

Regina sighed. "Normally I would say I'd think about it, but since I don't really have a choice, and there isn't really a chance I will find a better offer here in Storybrooke than yours, I'll go with it."

And before Daniel could tell her how happy that made him Regina bent over in pain as a contraction once again made itself present. "This one was much heavier." She breathed. "How much time has passed?"

Daniel looked over to the clock. "15 minutes, you've had two contractions in fifteen minutes. Now I don't want to be rude, but I really want to know how much you've dilated already, so I need you to push your pride aside and let me do my work okay?"

"You really know how to do this?" Was all Regina asked in a scared voice as she moved the sheets from her legs, knowing that she didn't really have a choice.

"Sort of." Was Daniels reply as he walked over to the bathroom to wash his hands.

"That doesn't make me feel any better you know."

"I'm sorry, I thought you preferred the truth above lies that make you feel better."

Regina chuckled. "I do. It's just…I'm scared." She admitted.

"I understand that." Daniel said as he walked back to the bed. "You've every right to be scared. But I'm here now, and I will get you through this okay? Everything will be alright. I'm going to the kitchen now to boil water and get some towels and then I'll be right back again."

Regina nodded unsurely, but she had to admit to herself that in that moment she was extremely happy that it was Daniel who Henry had found, and not someone else, for Daniel seemed to know exactly how to calm her down, and that was something she was desperately in need of in this moment.

* * *

"Ok Regina, I think that you can start pushing with the next contraction." Daniel said, trying to mask the worry in his voice. Two hours had passed and things were going too slowly as Regina seemed to be in a great deal of pain.

"I don't understand." She panted. "After your first -… giving birth should be easier. So why does it hurt ten times more than it did with Henry?" Her hair was wet already and her skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat as she breathed her way through the yet another contraction.

"It's almost over Regina, as I said, you can start pushing when the next contraction comes." Daniel repeated himself and with his words he saw a sudden shift in the brown irises of Regina's eyes: panic.

She started to shake her head. "No, I can't do this alone, I can't. This baby can't be born here. I'm not going to do it, I'm not – " The next contraction hit her body and as much as Daniel told her to push she didn't do it.

"No!" She cried. "I can't. I won't. This can't be happening now, I refuse!"

"Regina! You _have_ to push, refusing is not an option!"

"But I don't want to." Regina cried. "It hurts so much and I can't have this baby in a ruin of a house in the middle of a storm? What kind of welcome is that to my child!?"

Daniel sighed in frustration. This wasn't going well at all. He had to convince Regina to push, calm her down, but how? Nothing seemed to work.

* * *

Meanwhile at the city hall Cora was frantically pacing up and down. Most of the townspeople had made themselves comfortable on the floor as they waited for the storm to pass but Cora couldn't. Not when she had the feeling something was wrong. And with something she didn't mean the storm that was ruining her town, but Regina. Something with Regina was not right. She could feel it. At first it had been a nagging feeling that was sometimes there and sometimes not. She had brushed it off as simple worry, but now it was constantly there. It was a suffocating feeling of pain, angst and worry and Cora didn't like it, she didn't like it at all. Call it what you want, the connection between mother and daughter, of maybe their magic, but Cora knew her daughter needed her.

"I need to go there." She said to Henry, Snow, Emma and Neal who were sitting on the floor against a wall of the conference room.

"You can't Cora. The storm hasn't passed yet. You won't be able to get there." Snow said.

Cora shook her head. "No, I have to go there. Something is wrong."

"I'm sure Daniel can take care of it, Cora." Emma now said.

"We don't _know_ if Daniel is there. The line went dead before he could reply!" Cora snapped.

"Well fact remains that you can't leave this place now Cora." Neal piped up.

"I can use magic and teleport myself to her."

"Oh yes, I'm sure she won't get a heart attack right there when you suddenly "purple-smoke" yourself into her bedroom. Great idea, Cora." Emma quipped.

"I will teleport myself to in front of the house of course, foolish girl."

"But you're not allowed to use magic Cora." Snow said.

"No, I'm not allowed to use magic _unless_ there is an urgent reason for me to ignore that rule." Cora corrected.

"And you think there is?" Neal asked.

"Yes! Something is not right, I can feel it! For all we know Regina could still be there alone with Henry. The roof of the house could be blown away for any matter!"

"And you're willing to risk a revival of your…addiction…to magic, to check up on her?" Henry asked, choosing his words carefully.

Cora nodded. "It's our daughter Henry. I can't understand how you can sit there so relaxed while your daughter could be in great danger."

"That's not fair Cora. Of course he is worried too. He just also knows that there is nothing he can do right now." Emma defended Henry.

"Yes, well, but I _can_ do something about it now." When she was met by silence she let out a frustrated huff. "God, I don't need your permission to use magic, I don't even know why I asked for it in the first place." And with that she moved her hands and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

* * *

When Cora reappeared in front of the house fear clasped her heart when she saw how the large tree had destroyed the left side of the house. Quickly she made her way inside the house, and ignoring the ridiculously loud sounds coming from the TV in the living room she made her way upstairs. The closer she came to Regina's bedroom the better she could hear the sound of arguing voices and cries of pain.

"You have to push Regina! This is _not_ the time to be stubborn." Cora heard Daniel say when she entered the room.

And a very distraught Regina shook her head, tears running down her face. "No you don't understand!" She yelled. "It hurts too much and I can't deliver this baby in a crazy storm! I can't and I won't! This was not supposed to happen! Why does everything have to be so complicated?!"

"It's not, it's really not! Either you push now or you let your child die Regina!" Daniel yelled back at her, his own worry and fear translating in harsh words.

At this Regina started to cry even harder. "Don't say that. Don't yell at me."

Cora quickly now fully entered the room and walked over to Regina. "Oh my poor girl. Come here." She said and she pushed Regina a little bit more on the bed so she could sit behind her daughter. She wrapped her arms around the woman and let her lean back against her. Regina tilted her head back so she could look at Cora, confused as to where the woman suddenly came from.

"Now you listen to me. On the next contraction you are going to push when Daniel says you have to, because this baby can't wait any longer. Do you understand?" Cora said in a firm yet calm voice.

"But – "

"No, don't argue with me. That is what you're going to do. I fully understand that you're scared, but you're not alone in this. Daniel is here, and so am I now and we will get you through this. And then when it's over you'll finally be able to hold your child in your arms."

Regina stared up at Cora with teary eyes and then slowly nodded. And then, when she felt how her body seemed to be torn apart once again by the pain of a contraction she pushed, just as Daniel told her to do while Cora softly stroked her hair, whispering soothing and encouraging words in her ear.

As soon as Regina heard a shrill crying echoing through the room she let herself lean against Cora again in satisfaction. She did it. She felt Cora's hand caressing her face, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "You did it, sweetheart. I'm so proud of you." Cora said softly and Regina smiled at her words.

"Can I…hold her?" Regina asked, and both adults noticed how it cost Regina great strength to speak those words.

"Honey, do you feel alright?" Cora asked worried but the younger woman nodded. "Just tired, and I want to hold my baby." Regina replied as she looked at how Daniel was washing her child, _their_ child. "Is she…the alright?" She then asked. "Doctor Whale said it could be that she would be underweight as a complication of the preeclampsia."

Daniel shook his head as he now took the baby, who had stopped crying and now was only sobbing a little, in his arms and walked over to Regina with her. "She's just perfect Regina, just like her mother." He said with a smile while he placed the squirming baby in her mother's arms.

Cora now stepped away from Regina, and replaced the gap with a pillow for Regina to lean against. Regina didn't even seem to notice as she was just looking down at her child with a happy smile. A smile neither Cora nor Daniel had seen her wear ever since they had met her.

"Hi baby girl, my _precious_ baby girl." Regina spoke softly to the baby. The child was moving her hands a little up in the air, and when Regina held out a finger one of the tiny hands immediately took it in a firm grip, which made Regina smile again, however the child in her arms seemed to be less amused as her forehead creased and she opened her mouth to let out an unsatisfied cry, small tears escaping from her closed eyes. "Oh dear don't cry." Regina cooed. "You're hungry, aren't you?" And without any shyness she loosened her night gown a little to be able to feed her new born. The crying stopped instantly.

Cora now walked around the bed past Daniel towards the door. "I am going to call Doctor Whale to come over here so he can check up on Regina and the baby and I will send little Henry up to meet his new sister, if that's okay with you?" Cora asked, she had realised the storm seemed to have passed when she became aware of the fact that the deafening noise she was now hearing no longer was the wind blowing, but the cartoons Henry was watching downstairs.

Both Daniel and Regina nodded and neither one of them really saw Cora leave as two pair of eyes were glued to the tiny pink human being in Regina's arms. When the baby seemed to have had enough Regina readjusted her night gown again and looked up to Daniel with tired but happy eyes. "You want to hold your daughter, daddy?" She asked softly and when Daniel nodded and walked over to the bed to sit in the chair Regina handed her daughter over to him.

"She's just as beautiful as her mother." Daniel whispered as he couldn't keep his eyes of the tiny human being in his arms. He held her close to his chest to keep her warm as the baby made soft gurgling sounds, her eyes closed. "You chose yourself quite a day to get born, you know that little one?" He softly spoke to his daughter. "You gave us quite some stress, especially your mommy. You really have to promise not to do that anymore… We also have to find you a name." Daniel looked up at Regina now. "Did you choose a name already?"

"I liked Estelle..." Regina spoke, "I wanted to call her that if that's okay with you?" She added.

Daniel smiled and nodded. "I love that name, I think it's a name that suits her very well." He said and he looked down at the bundle in his arms. "Hi there Estelle. Do you like your new name? Yes? I once heard that Estelle means star, so I think this name fits you pretty well. For you are our little star, don't you think?"

The baby gurgled in response, and Daniel laughed. "You hear that Regina? I think she agrees." But when he looked up he saw Regina had fallen asleep, her chest steadily rising with every breath. So when Cora and Henry entered the room Daniel quickly pressed his finger to his lips indicating them to be quite and instead he made his way over to them. "Your mommy is very tired Henry and she's sleeping now, so I think it is better if we go downstairs so you can meet your baby sister there, don't you think?" He said as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

Henry nodded with big eyes, the fact that he now had a baby sister was difficult for him to understand and he looked with curious eyes at the bundle in Daniel's arms, occasionally seeing a small hand sticking out of the blanket.

I've called Doctor Whale, he's on his way here together with my husband. Emma and Neal wanted to come too but I told them that would be too much excitement for now." Cora said to Daniel. "I'm going to stay with Regina now. Just to make sure she's doing okay."

She walked past Daniel but was held back when she felt his hand on her shoulder. "What are you going to do about the house?" He asked nodding with his head towards Henry's room.

"I'll fix that later." Cora replied. "It isn't very difficult to fix that with…you know…" Cora said, aware of the five year old boy that was intently listening to their conversation.

Daniel shook his head. "You can't do that. She knows what happened; if the roof is made in a day again she will get confused. Besides, I thought you weren't supposed to use..._you know_…anymore."

Cora nodded. "You're right…about both things. But then we have a problem, because there won't be enough room for all of us."

"I spoke already about that with Regina. She, Henry and Estelle can come live with me. I bought a house a little further down the road with enough room so that Regina and Henry can both have their own room." Daniel said.

"Estelle, is that what she's named?" Cora asked with a smile as she walked closer to Daniel to look at her granddaughter who had fallen asleep in Daniel's arms. Daniel nodded. "Yes, but…do you agree with that? That Regina and the kids will move in with me, I mean?"

"Oh, yes of course dear, that's very generous of you." Cora said and put up a fake smile, because deep in her heart she wasn't ready yet to let her daughter, who she had just found, leave her house again.

"Can we go downstairs now so I can have a better look at my sister?" Henry asked impatiently which earned him a chuckle from both adults. "Yes Henry we can. Let's go." Daniel said and he walked towards the stairs with the boy as Cora quietly entered Regina's room.

She looked upon her daughter who was lying sound asleep in the bed, a look of total exhaustion over her. Cora saw how Regina was frowning in her sleep and started to stir a little. She was probably having a bad dream and Cora wasn't sure if she should let her daughter sleep or wake her up from the dream.

* * *

_Regina looked around; she didn't know where she was. Was she dreaming? She was standing in a large hall, a hall that could belong to a castle or at least to some royal mansion or something. Suddenly she heard the patter of small footsteps coming from her right and she saw a girl running down large stairs. Dark curls bouncing with every step._

"_Look mommy! I tied my own boots!" The girl, probably four years old, exclaimed happily as she ran past Regina towards a woman, who Regina only now noticed was standing to her left. Regina gasped when she recognized the woman to be Cora, although she was dressed rather strangely. She was wearing a long dark purple gown, and her hair was up in an elegant hairdo, as if she was dressed to go to some medieval festival._

_Cora laughed as she took the girl into her arms and lifted her up in the air before giving her a hug. "You did it sweetheart, I'm so proud of you!"_

"_First it was hard, and I almost gave up. But you always say that if you don't do it right the first time, you have to try again, and then I did it!" The girl said, it was only now that Regina realised that she couldn't see the girls face. She walked over to the two to be able to take a better look at the girl, but somehow she still wasn't able to see the face of the four year old._

"_That's right, Regina. And I'm very proud that you tried again and succeeded." Cora said softly._

_Regina? Did Cora just say Regina to the girl that called her mommy; did Cora just say __her__ name to the girl that was probably her daughter? Regina didn't like this dream anymore; it was time to wake up. This dream was making her feel uneasy. Cora now walked over to the where Regina was standing and placed a hand to her shoulder. She wanted to jerk away from the touch but found herself unable to move. "Regina." Cora spoke, and then again. "Regina…."_

Regina woke up with a start and immediately jerked away from the hand that she saw was resting on her shoulder. "Regina, dear is everything alright?" She heard a voice ask, and when she looked up she saw Cora, with long brown shoulder length hair that was loosely falling down her face, Cora, in black slack pants, a red blouse and a black blazer, Cora, her hand still in the place where Regina had been moments before. Regina shook her head, this was the real Cora, this was real, what she had just seen was just a dream. "Regina?" Cora repeated.

"Yes, yes, I'm alright." Regina breathed. "I just had a… strange dream." Cora stared at her daughter for a while, not sure what it was in the younger woman's eyes that made her think Regina wasn't telling her everything, but then smiled a comforting smile. "That's what I already thought dear, you were frowning and stirring in your sleep, so I thought it best to wake you up. I hope you feel better now?"

Regina returned the smile. "Thank you Cora, and yes I feel better now. It was just a dream." _Just a dream_ she repeated to herself, nothing more, _just_ a dream.

* * *

**I'm back :D! Final exams are over (although I'm pretty sure I'll have to do one over but whatever), and I handed in the draft version of my thesis yesterday, so today was Fanfiction updating time B|! I'm planning on posting the first chapter of my HookedQueen fanfiction: 'A bubble bursting of love', tonight or tomorrow, so that's yay too AND I updated 'Nothing can part us' as well…is that enough to make up for this long silence **** I think it is ^^! **

**Please leave a review about this chapter! **

**X**

**Metope**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter XIV**

_Two months later_

Living with Daniel proved to be less awkward than Regina had expected it to be. He was away working in the stables most of the day while Regina stayed at home to take care of Estelle and to recover and get rid of the last symptoms of preeclampsia. Every morning Daniel would take Henry with him on his way to the stables to drop him of at school, and Cora would pick him up from school again and bring him home. The weather was still pretty bad, and therefore the two month old baby couldn't go outside yet, which made it impossible for Regina to pick her son up from school herself.

Henry didn't really mind, though. He had taken a great liking to Daniel, and he had always had a special bond with Cora, so in his young eyes he got everything good out of this. He got to spend time with the people he loved and when he came home his mother was there with his little sister. Regina was extremely happy with how Henry was reacting to Estelle. He had been so fixated on having a brother that she had been scared he wouldn't like Estelle. But she couldn't have been more wrong, Henry loved his little sister. She had caught him several times at night softly talking to his sister when he was supposed to be sleeping, telling his sister how he would protect her, and talking to her about the typical things five year olds talk about.

Today, however, Regina and Estelle wouldn't stay at home. It was the first fairly sunny day of autumn and so Regina had decided that the two of them would pay a visit to Cora and take lunch from the diner with them on their way. It was Wednesday, which was the Mayor's day off.

When Regina entered the diner she felt how the gazes of all people present seemed to focus on her as she made her way to Ruby. As soon as she turned her back to the booths she heard an active whispering coming from the customers, which made her feel even more uneasy. On top of that, no one came to take a look at Estelle, and that was really odd. Sure, she hadn't been around here for a couple of months during her bed rest, but before that she had been here for at least a month, she knew most of these people, and everyone loves babies, so Regina didn't understand why no one was coming to take a look at her new born.

When Ruby handed Regina her lunch, Regina decided to ask Ruby if something was wrong. Ruby, however, shook her head and tried to reassure Regina that no one was acting strangely towards her. Although the nervous smile Regina found on Ruby's face made that she didn't really believe the waitress.

So when Regina finally reached Cora's house and sat down with a cup of tea in her hands and with Estelle in front of her lying on her back on a baby plaid, the first thing Regina asked Cora was: "Do I look different to you today?"

Cora let out a chuckle. "What do you mean dear?"

Regina sighed. "Well, I don't know. But it seemed as if everyone was staring at me on my way here. As if I had forgotten to get dressed today or something. So I was wondering if there was anything funny about me or something that could have caused all the looks."

Cora frowned at her daughter's words. Inwardly she cursed the townspeople, stupid insolent peasants, she thought. She should have never told them Regina was her daughter, now they were treating her as such. She might still be the mayor, but Cora knew very well that it was a large step from tolerance to trust, and not all the townspeople had made that step yet. And so she was once again the reason for her daughter's misery. However, she couldn't tell Regina the real reason behind the townspeople's behaviour, for it meant that Regina would have to know who she really was, something Cora still didn't know how to tell her. So instead she put up her most convincing smile and shook her head. "No dear, I don't see anything different about you. It must have been nothing. Although you do look rather tired, do you get enough sleep Regina?" Cora's voice changed from a reassuring tone to one with worry.

"Oh it's nothing." Regina brushed the question aside. "It's just that Estelle cries a lot at night, so she keeps me awake at times."

Cora narrowed her eyes as she studied Regina's face. The woman in front of her was staring down at her daughter, as to not make eye contact with Cora, and by the fidgeting of her hands, Cora knew Regina was not telling the whole truth. "

"And how often do these 'times' occur, Regina?"

Regina shrugged. "O just –" "Please look at me when you speak to me dear." Cora said in a rather stern voice and Regina quickly moved her head up to look at Cora. She was met by dark eyes staring intently at her, as to let her know that she should better tell the truth right now. Regina didn't know what it was, but she couldn't lie to Cora. Normally she had no trouble at all to mask her emotions and to pass of things as the truth, that really weren't, but with Cora things were different.

"Every night." Regina sighed, as she gave in to the stern gaze of the woman in front of her and let herself lean back against the cushions of the couch, her usually sparkling eyes were now dull as they looked at Cora, waiting for her to speak.

"And where is Daniel in this story?"

"He sleeps through her crying. I had her sleep with him in his room one night, and at night I woke up because I thought I heard her crying. First I thought I was making things up, since Daniel's room is at the other side of the house, but I wasn't, she was crying so hard she almost lost her voice, and Daniel was sound asleep next to her. So he's not really of any help in this."

Cora let out a sigh. "Regina, but wasn't the reason you moved in with Daniel, that you could take care of Estelle _together_, so you wouldn't have to do everything alone?"

"Oh but Daniel does so much already. He takes great care of Henry, for example. Besides, with Henry I did everything on my own as well. Leo sure as hell didn't help out one bit, and I managed to pull that off, so I can do it this time as well."

"No, Regina. You can't compare back then to this situation."Cora said, her head shaking as she moved closer to Regina so she could place her hand on her daughter's knee as a gesture of comfort. "You have to learn how to ask for help and accept it when it's offered to you. Did you even tell Daniel how tired you're feeling?"

By Regina's cheeks slightly flushing, Cora's question was being answered and the woman shook her head. "Regina, you're not alone. Not anymore. You can ask for help and you need to do that. You can't go on like this. We're here to help you, all of us are. Do you understand that?"

Regina looked up at the older woman in front of her, her lips slightly apart as she was searching for words to protest, however none came and she was glad when Estelle decided to produce the cutest baby gurgle ever to pull attention towards her.

Cora smiled as she looked down at the baby. "Oh Regina, she's grown so much already, and look at how beautiful she is."

Regina nodded. "I love her blue eyes. They're even brighter than Daniel's at times, or so it seems."

Cora smiled again and the smile grew even wider as her granddaughter was now looking up to her with said blue eyes. "Yes, but I think she has inherited her dark locks from her mommy. Don't you, Estelle?" The woman cooed.

Regina chuckled, she hadn't really thought Cora to be the type of woman to be so fond of children and talk baby talk to them. Especially since she didn't have children of herself. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of the doorbell.

"Well that must be the sheriff." Cora sighed. "Honestly I don't know why I still take the day off. It doesn't prevent the sheriff from bothering me with town issues anyway."

"Well maybe you shouldn't answer the door or your phone when Emma comes to bother you with work on your free day then, if you already know it's her." Regina called after Cora and she laughed when she heard Cora tell her to not make such smart comments.

Cora was right, it was Emma at the door and a few minutes later Regina was met by Emma's voice pleading for Cora to listen to "just this one thing" and Cora being stubborn and using the fact that Emma needed something from her to the fullest.

When Emma entered the living room and saw Regina and Estelle there, her face changed from the frown that had been reserved for Cora to a happy beaming smile. "O my god Regina she's so cute!" Emma squealed as she carefully but quickly made her way over to the baby that was now in her mother's arms and practically snatched her away from Regina to hold her.

"Hi there Estelle, aren't you the most adorable cute baby in the whole wide world? Yes you are, yes you are!" Emma cooed to the baby as she held the girl high above her head and looked up in the big blue orbs that stared at the blonde in curiosity. "Can you say hi to auntie Emma already? Can you?" Emma continued, and at this Regina could no longer contain her laughter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Emma." She laughed when the blonde lowered the baby again and hold her in her arms while she turned to look at Regina with an insulted look on her face that was asking for the brunette to explain things. However, Regina was laughing too hard to be able to say anything else.

"Honestly, I don't get what is so funny." Emma murmured, which only made Regina laugh even more.

"Well, maybe your ridiculous behaviour is causing it, dear." Cora now remarked dryly as she gently took Estelle out of Emma's arms and gestured for the blonde to sit down, as she did the same. "She's two months old, of course she can't _say_ anything yet. As for your behaviour before that. In my position as mayor I deliberately ask you to never speak that way to the poor girl again, she could become traumatized, if not already."

Emma let out a dramatic sigh and then let herself fall down on the couch next to Regina with a smile. "Well, I promise never to speak that way to your granddaughter again Cora." And as the blonde spoke the words she realised she had said too much and as if it would take the words back she froze her movement and just lay there, staring with big eyes at Cora, who just stared back at Emma with open mouth.

Regina's laughter subsided and she turned to look at Emma. "Granddaughter?" She asked with an arched eyebrow. Her voice seemed to shake the sheriff out of her shocked state and the blonde shook her head. "Oh, well yes, you know.." she laughed nervously. "I mean, you've lived here for so long, and you seem to be the only person in this entire town Cora seems to actually like, and as she loves you and Estelle so much I thought I would jokingly call Estelle her granddaughter... Just...silly me, being silly."

Emma held her breath, waiting to see whether Regina would buy the story, and Cora used the opportunity to say something adding to the plausibility of Emma's story. "Well sheriff, as much as I believe your words were meant to be flattering. The fact that you indirectly called me _old_, means that you managed once again to insult me, and so I'd rather not have you calling me that way."

This seemed to convince Regina of the title being a joke and she chuckled. "Well you sure know how to bring Cora in a bad mood, Emma." She laughed. "First you bother her with work on her day off, and then you manage to insult her as well."

Emma let out another nervous laugh. "I can't be helped, I guess. I'm a failed experiment" She joked

Regina laughed. "Oh come here, you're not a failed experiment." And she pulled Emma over towards her to give her a hug.

"Heeey, I can wrap my arms around you again, another good thing that cute daughter brought along with her. You're no longer fat!" Emma exclaimed happily. Which caused Regina to immediately let go of the hug and theatrically look out the other way as Cora sighed.

"You never stop do you, sheriff?"

"Well, I just meant that she's thin again. I mean..there's no baby in there anymore and uh..."

"...and so you decided to call me fat?" Regina said, and for a moment Emma thought she had really hurt Regina with her comment, but then she saw that familiar sparkle in Regina's eyes and she knew the brunette was just teasing her.

She playfully hit her friend and laughed. "You know I didn't mean it that way."

Regina nodded. "I do, I do, dear. However, you are actually right, I _was _fat. In fact, I still am."

"Nonsense." Cora said as she repositioned Estelle, who had started to fuss a little, in a way to try to calm the baby.

"She's hungry." Regina said, and she reached over to the diaper bag to get a bottle out of it.

"Let me do that, I'll go to the kitchen to prepare her bottle." Cora said as she now got up from the chair and gently gave Estelle back to Regina, who gave her the bottle instead.

"Cora you really don't have to – " Regina started but stopped talking at Cora's stern look.

"Accept the help that's offered to you, remember?" The woman said as she made her way over to the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Emma asked.

Regina sighed. "Oh, just that Daniel doesn't wake up when Estelle cries at night. So I have to take care of her myself every night, and now I'm so tired, Emma. I'm so incredibly tired."

Emma nodded thoughtfully. "I see. But why don't you just let Estelle sleep with Daniel then? Surely he won't sleep through her crying if she's in the same room with him?"

But Regina shook her head. "No even then he doesn't wake up."

"Well then how does he get up for work in the morning?" Emma asked.

"He has this really loud alarm, that goes off right next to his ear, only that wakes him - and everyone else – up."

"Well but that's ridiculous. And did you go to Dr. Whale already to ask if he can't do anything to let Estelle sleep more at night or something?" Emma asked and she continued when Regina shook her head. "Well you should most definitely do that, Regina. Because you can't go on like this. I can see in your face how exhausted you are, you look pale and thin."

Regina laughed. "Thin? I doubt, that I look _thin_, Emma."

Emma sighed. "I was kidding Regina, you're not fat!"

"But look at this." Regina protested. " I'm so ugly! My skin is too big for my body and all that bed rest has caused my body to be out of shape even more than it already was."

"Would you stop that?" The blond sheriff exclaimed, almost angry. "You're gorgeous! And yes, your skin might be too big for your body right now, but hello, you gave birth to a child only a freaking two months ago. Women would kill to look like you do after two months!"

"For once, I agree with the sheriff, dear." Cora now said as she re-entered the room with a bottle in her hand that she gave to Regina, who started to feed Estelle. "I'd sooner say you're thin than that you're fat, dear." The woman continued as she sat back down in her chair. "And of course, your stomach won't be flat again right away but I wouldn't worry so much about it. Did it give you any problems when you were pregnant with Henry?"

Regina huffed. "No, but back then I hadn't been in a bed doing nothing but _eat_ for three months. And back then I was able to start swimming and do exercises again right after I gave birth. Whereas Doctor Whale forbade me to do that now right away due to that stupid preeclampsia."

Cora chuckled as she reached over to the table to poor herself another cup of tea. "Dear, I wouldn't worry about it. When I was pregnant with you I gained a lot of weight, but after you were born it was gone in no time. And no one had heard of doing exercises back then." She said with a smile but when she went to sit back in her chair again she looked up into the very frightened and shocked face of a blonde sheriff and the confused face of Regina, whose lips were slightly apart in shock as she tried to process what Cora had just said. Said person just stared at the women in front of her as the weight of the words she had just spoken fell down on her, and she realised how big a mistake she had made.

"I'm sorry, _what_ did you just say?" Regina eventually asked.

Cora laughed nervously. "Oh I just said that when I gave birth, that I lost weight quite quickly again."

But Regina didn't buy Cora's rewritten story of the truth and she shook her head. "No, no, no no. That's not what you said. You said: 'When I gave birth _to you_.' And then you were looking at...at _me_." Regina's breathing quickened as panic was slowly taking over. "You meant me! As if...as if _you_ gave birth to _me._" She repeated herself and then she turned to look at Emma. "And _you_, you called Estelle her granddaughter earlier. That wasn't a joke, was it? That was...that was _true_, wasn't it?" And when Emma didn't react, with more force: "_WASN'T IT_?"

Estelle began to squirm and fuss at the sudden rise of her mother's voice but when Regina softly started to rock her child in her arms she calmed down again. Regina however, wasn't calm at all.

She looked back from Emma to Cora. "What's going on here?" She asked, her voice almost an octave higher than it usually was.

Cora swallowed, she knew she had to be honest right now with Regina. If she wouldn't be she would lose her daughter again, if she hadn't already, judging by the panicked look in her daughter's eyes.

"Regina...you are my – " Cora shook her head as tears tried to make their way down her cheeks. "Regina," She tried again. "I am your _mother_, and Henry...Henry, he is your father."

Regina now stood up abruptly from the couch and set a few steps away from the furniture and so from Cora and Emma as she shook her head, holding her baby close to her chest. "No, no, no. I – I don't have parents." She breathed. "they left me, or they died when I was five, I don't know...but I don't have parents. I don't have a father, and I don't have a mother."

"But you do Regina." Cora said in a broken voice. She decided to stay down in the chair, as she didn't want to intimidate Regina by suddenly standing up. "We lost you. We lost you and we couldn't find you anymore. You were gone for so long, but then you came back and..."

"And you thought it to be funny to pull the biggest prank of the year? To take me in, to pretend to care about me by not telling me who you were?" Regina asked, her voice now growing angry as her eyes darkened considerably.

"No, Regina. That is not how things went." Cora protested.

"Then how _did_ it go? Because I can't believe you let me live in your house for five months, _five MONTHS, _and you couldn't find the time or the right moment to tell me: "Hey, you know what Regina. You've always thought you were an orphan, but guess what? You're not. Because we're your parents!" Regina ranted.

Cora shook her head as tears were now freely running down her face. "That's not all there is to the story. I couldn't tell you, because you don't remember!"

"What don't I remember?"

"How you got here!" Cora almost yelled, and she started to explain the story to her daughter. "You were five, I was working in the garden house at the end of our estate. You had followed the path of purple magic, that's how you found me. You were so talented then already, and smart and eager to learn. You wanted to be able to do magic too, just like me. I refused, and you were just about to throw a tantrum when a man turned up, Rumpelstiltskin. You were afraid of him so I sent you outside to protect you, however you didn't trust the man – and rightfully so, so you decided to 'rescue' me. On your way out you grabbed a bean with you, a portal bean. When I realised what you had taken from me I ran after you and was able to get to you before anything could happen. However, right before you gave the bean back to me you tripped and fell, the bean falling out of your hand and when it touched the ground the portal opened. You didn't fall in immediately, and y our father and I tried to rescue you, but that _horrible _man was keeping us from you with his magic. And so we could do nothing as you disappeared in the portal. We were devastated, of course, and I tried to find a way to get to you. But everything seemed to fail. Until finally, finally I had found a way to take us here, to bring _all_ of us here. And so it happened, and – "

Cora was interrupted by a sharp hiss coming from Regina. "Stop it!" She breathed. "Stop this nonsense right here! Of _all_ the believable lies you could have made up as to why you didn't tell me sooner. You chose to tell me a story about fairy tales and magic and beans? Do you think I am absolutely crazy? I may not be the most stable person around here at this moment, but I'm not _that_ for gone!"

"Regina..." Emma started in an attempt to calm the seething brunette down, but instead it just caused Regina to turn her anger towards Emma now. "And _you!_ You _knew_ about this and you didn't tell me anything?! What kind of a friend are you!" Regina now practically screamed, and this caused Estelle to start crying, but Regina couldn't care in that moment, her anger clouding her judgement.

"Who else knew about this? Neal? Ruby? Granny?"

Regina had just wildly guessed three names, but when Emma nor Cora responded and both women just looked down to their hands instead, Regina realised those three knew indeed, and it started to dawn on her why the people of Storybrooke had been acting so strangely towards her. They probably all knew she was 'the long lost mayor's daughter'.

"Well, that's just, great. I'm the town fool now. Everyone knew who I was, but I." Regina growled in a dangerously low voice, and with that she turned around and headed for the front door.

Cora now got up out of her chair and went after Regina. "Regina, honey, please wait. We need to talk about this. That is not the whole story. We – "

Just before Regina reached the door she turned around and Cora was taken aback by the anger she saw swirling in her daughter's eyes. _"We _have to do nothing. The only one who has to do something here is _you_, Cora Mills. And that is speaking the _truth_." And with that Regina angrily opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. Outside she realised she had left all of her belongings with Cora, including Estelle's diaper back and the pram, but she didn't care. She wouldn't go back there now. So instead she released herself of her black cardigan and wrapped it around her still crying daughter as to keep her warm, and started walking in the direction of her home while she tried to calm down her Estelle on the way.

**Dum dum duuummm**

**I'm sorry for the big wait! Thesis trouble and stuff like that. But the good news is: I passed all four my exams with an 8 (out of 10), so yaaaay for me. And I have to hand in my thesis this Thursday which means I'll have plenty of time to update then :D. And I will update more frequently then, not only this story but also Nothing can part us and A bubble bursting with love.**

**Tell me what you think? The truth is finally out, or actually half of it, because Regina still doesn't remember, and she already got this upset over Cora's enchanted-forest-talk-for-dummies-version. Reviews make me happy so please leave them ****!**

**x**

**Metope**


	16. Chapter 15

**XV**

Never in her entire life had Emma Swan expected to see the composed seemingly cold-hearted mayor of Storybrooke lose it in front of her. But there was a first time for everything, and so Emma was now witnessing how Cora was pacing up and down the living room in a rapid rate, worry and sadness on her face. "What have I done. I shouldn't have told her. I didn't do it right. What am I going to do. What have I done?" She repeated to herself, and this had been going on for five minutes now. Emma had called Cora's husband in the meanwhile, telling him to come home as someone had to calm Cora down, and she wasn't going to do it. She didn't know how to anyways.

Cora stopped her panicked pacing when she heard the front door open and close again. And when she saw Henry entering the living room, worry on his face – Emma had told him something had happened but he didn't know what – Cora broke down. She practically launched herself at him and cried as he held her. When Emma locked eyes with the man she saw that surprisingly he too had a look of total confusion and desperation in his eyes, telling the blonde that he hadn't seen Cora like this very often either.

"I'm so sorry Henry." Cora sobbed. "I drove her away. I lost her again." Henry shook his head in confusion, not knowing what Cora was talking about. Instead he just held her tight to him and let her cry as he sent a questioning look to Emma.

"Cora, accidentally let slip that Regina is your daughter. So when Regina demanded to know what was going on, she told her. However, Regina didn't believe a thing of what Cora was telling her. So she got only more panicked and angry and eventually stormed out."

At this Henry let out a sigh and his lips formed a silent 'oh'. Cora now pulled away from him slightly and when he looked down he stared into her tear stained face. Not ever had he seen his wife this distraught but once: When Regina had fallen through the portal.

"I'm so sorry Henry." She whispered. "It's my fault."

He sent his wife a reassuring smile. "No, you shouldn't think like that. Regina just needs some time to process what you told her, that's all, I'm sure. Things will be alright, you'll see."

"How can you be so sure of that? You didn't see her, Henry. She looked so angry, so hurt. We should have told her right away, we shouldn't have waited so long. Now she hates us."

"No she doesn't." Emma now said as she finally got up from the couch and walked over to the pair. "The fact that she was this upset proves that she doesn't, it proves that she cares a great deal about you. She just feels...betrayed or something by us, because we kept this a secret for so long. So in a way it's a good thing she's this upset, because it proves that she cares about you."

"It doesn't feel like a good thing." Cora replied.

Emma smiled awkwardly. "I know, and I can assure you that it might take a while before she comes around. She can be very stubborn. It all depends on whether she will remember her past fast or not."

"Then what do we do now?" Henry asked, and looking at the diaper back that was still in the middle of the room; "I see she left most of the things she got with her here?"

Cora nodded. "She left in a hurry, completely upset. I don't even know where she is right now, or if she's okay and safe."

"I think she just went home. She had Estelle with her. So she can't really have gone anywhere else because most of Estelle's things are here. She probably didn't want to come back here though, so then Daniel's was the best next thing." Emma said.

Henry nodded. "I will call him to ask if she's there then."

When Regina entered the living room and he saw her red rimmed eyes and the wild look in them, Daniel immediately knew something was terribly wrong. He got up from the couch and set a few steps in her direction, cautious since he didn't exactly knew if he was part of the reason why she was so upset.

"Where is Henry?" She asked, her voice thick with tears.

"He's over at a friend, I agreed with Tim's mom to pick him up after dinner."

She nodded and then walked past him to put Estelle in her crib. He waited. When she came back she walked over to him, stopping a few steps in front of him. "Did you know?" She asked, and at his confused look she repeated her question. "Did you know? About who I am? Who my parents are?" He could see how she was desperately trying not to cry.

He debated what to say. It was obvious Regina had found out Cora and Henry were her parents, however, he didn't know what they had told her exactly. So it would be best to be cautious. "Regna...it wasn't my place to tell." He eventually said.

At this she launched herself in his arms and broke into a million sobs as he hold her. When he felt how she was leaning more heavily on him as sobs wracked her body he gently moved them to the couch and sat down with her. He felt how his shirt got wet by her tears as her head was resting on his chest, her hands clinging to his t-shirt on his back. He just let her cry, words wouldn't do much at this moment, she would start to talk when she was ready.

"I feel so betrayed." She finally sobbed as she moved her head from his chest a little so that her words could be heard by him. "I've lived with them for five months and they didn't tell me."

"They told you now?" Daniel tried.

"Only because Cora let it slip. If not, who knows how much longer they would have kept it a secret. And _everyone_ knew except for me. Emma knew, Neal, Ruby, Granny, _you_." At this she started to cry again.

He pulled her into him again as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. "And the worst thing is that she's lying about it, even now." The brunette then continued.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

Regina now moved away from Daniel and he saw that next to the pain and sadness there now also appeared a hint of anger in her eyes. "Instead of telling me why she gave me up, or whatever happened that got us parted, she comes up with the craziest story about fairy tales and magic beans and portals and I don't know what. As if I'm not a 100% in my right mind."

Daniel just stared at Regina at this. She didn't believe Cora, _now_ he understood why she was this upset. She thought that Cora was lying to her, even now.

"I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for what Cora told you." Daniel tried. "Maybe – Maybe she just panicked, because she wasn't prepared to tell you."

Regina shook her head. "No, she just doesn't want to tell me that they didn't want me. They left me, Daniel!"

"Now you're talking nonsense. If they didn't want you why do you think they took you in and took care of you these past few months? "

"Guilt." Regina murmured.

Daniel shook his head. "Why don't you try to get some sleep. You're much too upset to think straight right now."

"But it's the middle of the day." Regina protested.

"Believe me, a little bit of sleeping will make you feel much better." Daniel said.

Regina sighed. "About that...Daniel...you really, really, _really_, have to figure something out that will wake you up when Estelle cries. Because she hasn't been sleeping through the night _once_ since she got born, and I can't do this on my own for much longer."

Daniel's eyes widened at Regina's confession. "You – You've been up _every_ single night since you got here with Estelle?" He asked shocked.

Regina nodded while she stared at her hands that were loosely lying her lap.

"Why didn't you tell me? Regina, I thought we had agreed we would do this together."

The brunette shrugged as she continued staring at her hands. "I just – you didn't wake up that one time that she was crying so much, and you're doing so much already, taking care of Henry and everything. So I thought I would do this on my own then."

Daniel shook his head in frustration and then softly took Regina's chin in his hand to move her head up, forcing her to look at him. "Regina, we are in this _together_. That means that we do things _together_, especially things like staying up at night because our daughter doesn't want to go to sleep! I can't believe you've gone two months without a good night's rest! Now I'm all the more determined to get you to sleep!"

Regina just stared at him with watery brown eyes, she didn't understand how someone could be so caring for her, so gentle, so friendly and so she nodded. "Okay." She whispered. "I'll go to bed then."

"That's what I thought." Daniel said in a stern voice, together they got up from the couch. "I will help you move Estelle's crib out so you can sleep undisturbed." He explained.

Just when Daniel left Regina's room again his phone rang, seeing it was Cora he quickly answered the call, whispering a hello in order not to wake Regina or Estelle. He explained to Henry that Regina was indeed here, that she had been very upset and that she was sleeping now. After promising that he would call them if anything would happen, they ended the call.

* * *

_"Mommy, what is it that you're doing?" Regina was again in the odd looking mansion, now watching how the little girl, her back facing Regina was looking how Cora was rearranging a bouquet of roses. A couple of the roses seemed to be dead already, but the curious thing was that when Cora touched them a small swirl of purple seemed to emanate from her fingers, after which the rose would become alive and red again._

_"I'm tending to the roses, Regina." Cora said patiently. Regina winced when Cora called the girl her name. It confused her, what was it she was looking at? A dream or a memory? No_ – _No memory, don't be ridiculous Regina, and as much as she wanted to turn away from the two people in front of her, she continued to watch them._

_The little girl nodded. "Yes, I know mommy. But what are the purple sparkles?"_

_At this question Cora looked abruptly up from what she was doing. "What did you say dear?" She asked._

_"The purple sparkles." The child repeated impatiently. "They go from your fingers to the rose and then the rose gets red again."_

_Cora stared at her daughter for a while, Regina could see confusion, shock and maybe a hint of fear in them. Cora then rounded the table so she was now facing Regina and crouched down to her level. "Regina, dear. What _– _What do you see in my hand?" She asked gently and she opened her hand in front of the little girl, letting a small ball of what the girl called 'purple sparkles' appear there._

_The girl clapped her hands in delight. "Purple sparkles!" She laughed. "They're so pretty mommy. But what are they?"_

_Cora quickly closed her hand again and now took both the child's hands in hers. "Regina, what you saw is magic."_

_Regina heard a gasp coming from the little girl."Magic?" The child repeated. "Like, real magic? Not like when daddy says he can magic a coin out of my ear? Because that's just a trick." The child said unimpressed._

_Cora chuckled and brushed a strand of dark hair out of the child's face. "Oh Regina. You're such a bright young girl already. I love you so much my precious baby girl." At this the child laughed and then lung forward to wrap her arms around Cora. The woman responded by pulling her daughter into a strong hug as she got up from her sitting position and took the child with her, positioning her on her hip._

_The girl pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek and then happily let her head rest on her mother's shoulder. And as she did this, Regina was finally able to see the child's face, and with that there was no real denying possible anymore. This girl, it was her. Regina shook her head and backed away. She was so confused. This could not be real, magic didn't exist. This could not exist, for this seemed to take place in some medieval realm. But then why was she dreaming about Cora and herself at the age of five? How could she even know what Cora looked like when she was younger?_

Regina jolted upright in bed. Her breathing was quick and she felt her skin to be covered with a thin layer of sweat. When she looked to the alarm she saw it was nine o'clock already. Daniel had probably put Henry asleep already. Slowly she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to get dressed again. She had to get out of here. Some fresh air might help her forget this weird dream. Some fresh air...and maybe some alcohol, time to try that place The rabbit hole, she thought.

She chose a black tight sleeveless dress for herself that stopped mid-thigh and a pair of black heels to go with it. She let her hair, that stopped just above her shoulders, fall loosely around her face and applied just enough make-up to mask the bags under her eyes and a little bit of red lipstick. She wasn't looking for any guys tonight so she wouldn't have to go all out, presentable would do, and that she was. Her judgement was being confirmed when she left her room and saw Daniel's eyes fixed on her body just a little bit longer than necessary.

He turned off the TV when she entered the living room. "You're going out?" He asked, stating the obvious and she nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. Just for a walk and maybe I'm going to Grannies or something. I'll see. I won't be back late." She said and with that she left. She knew Daniel knew she wasn't going to Granny's, her outfit betrayed that it was more likely that she was going to The Rabbit Hole, and so she was glad that he didn't stop her. She needed this, just some music, some dancing, a beer or a cocktail and just...forget...

.

Daniel frowned when he heard the front door close. "If Regina was really planning on going to Granny's Rumpelstiltskin was allowed to turn him into a toad, because there was no way she was going there. Her outfit screamed Rabbit Hole. He had wanted to stop her, but decided against it at the very last moment. Maybe she needed this, to just clear her head. He could understand that, how often hadn't he gone to a bar in attempt to forget his worries and fears for a night, hell they had met each other that way. And Regina was a smart woman, he convinced himself, she had two children now to think about and she said she wouldn't be back late, so what could it hurt? He would just stay up until she would come back, and if it would become too late he would just go get her.

One hour passed, two hours passed...three hours passed...four hours passed, it was one AM now and Regina still hadn't gotten home. Daniel started to worry, and just as he was about to start looking for her he realised that he couldn't leave the house, as he couldn't leave Henry and Estelle alone. And so he reluctantly started to dial the number of the Mills' residence, where he had to explain how he had let Regina go out on her own, and how she hadn't returned yet. Thankfully it was Henry who took up the phone, but he could hear Cora's worried voice in the background.

After filling Cora and Henry in, Daniel called Emma to ask if she could look after Henry and Estelle for a while. He wanted to start looking for Regina with Henry and Cora as he felt responsible for her. They had agreed to meet each other in front of Granny's in 15 minutes.

* * *

He had observed her for a while now, actually from the moment that she had entered the diner. She was knew here, or at least she was to him. He had been out of town for a while. But even though he was fairly sure she hadn't lived in Storybrooke during the curse there was something about her face that seemed familiar to him. Those dark eyes, he had the feeling he had seen those eyes before, but he couldn't recall where or when. Then again, he had been around for so many years already that one couldn't expect him to remember every face he had ever come across.

She could dance well, very well. She was very beautiful too, _and_ it seemed that she was here to have a typical fun night out. He was now watching her as she finished what he thought to be her third or fourth cocktail already. He locked eyes with her and sent her a – what he thought to be – seducing smile. She returned it but didn't come his way, he was fine with that, he would just go after her then. Swiftly he made his way through the crowd until he got to her, she was dancing and so did he. He liked the culture of this world, the music of this world and the way people danced in this world. Much more freely and daring...and so they danced. He saw several men and women sending him an angry glare, he didn't care, they were just jealous he thought, that he could dance with such a beautiful woman. He had been dancing behind her but she now turned around, he noticed the scar on her upper lip and that again triggered something in her memory.

"Killian Jones, nice to meet you." He yelled over the music.

She smiled at him, her cheeks slightly flushed by the warmth and probably the alcohol. "Regina Mills. Although everyone seemed to already know who I was before I did myself."

At this his eyes widened. _Regina_, That was something he did remember, and upon closer look, he didn't understand how he hadn't seen it earlier. Her eyes, those eyes were still the same, his eyes raked over her body. That stubborn cheeky insufferable five your old brad had turned out into a dare he say it very hot woman. He got pulled out of his thoughts when she reached for his arm – it didn't seem like she remembered him. "What happened to your hand?" She asked, pointing at his artificial hand.

He smirked. "Comes with the job of being a pirate."

"A pirate?" She quirked an eyebrow.

He nodded as they now moved to the bar again and he asked for refills for the two of them. They talked and laughed, but every time that he tried to move closer she moved away from him, it started to annoy him. Time to take this to a place a little bit more quite. However, just as he wanted to propose such a thing she let herself slip of the bar stool. She put a hand to his arm and sent him a smile. "I – I should be going now..It's late." She slurred, and before he could do anything – he was slow due to the alcohol in his body – she walked away.

He huffed in annoyance. This is not what he had planned. And so he went after her...no one rejected Killian Jones...

* * *

**Well there you go ****!**

**DOBBY IS A FREE ELF NOW! Or actually, I am...did my French presentation today, handed in my thesis; so I officially ended my Bachelor programs (just have to wait for the grades but whatever :P). So that means that I now really have more time to update again!**

**I'm planning on updating this story again within two or three days (since I in fact cut this chapter in half), and I will be updating my HookedQueen story. (Because o my god Jones is such an ass in this story, I have got to make up for that in "A bubble bursting with love" :P)**

**Reviews make me very happy and really encourage me to update (seriously; you guys reviewed more on this story than the HookedQueen one and so I decided to update this one first..so you can influence my updating-behaviour by reviewing *hint hint*)**

**O and I will reread tomorrow on any spelling or grammar mistakes O:)**

**x**

**Metope**


	17. Chapter 16

**XVI**

* * *

He could feel Cora's angry stare trying to kill him from far away already as he approached the diner. It was a good thing looks couldn't actually kill – or so he hoped, she was a witch after all.

However, whether it was possible or not, Cora hadn't decided to punish him that way. Instead she slapped him against the back of his head.

"You promise to look after my daughter and then you let her go out to that filthy place when she's this upset!?" She hissed.

"Well what else could I have done? She's a grown woman. Do you really think she would have stayed if I had told her to stay home? It would only have made her to want to go more." He retorted.

"Instead of this bickering I suggest that we make our way over to the club." Henry now interrupted the two and without waiting for any of them to respond he started to walk.

"Is that her?" Cora asked when they saw someone leaving the club in the distance.

Daniel nodded. "I think so. It's a woman without a doubt, small enough to be Regina, and for as far as I can tell in this darkness she's wearing a dark dress and has dark hair."

"Well then she's drunk." Cora stated dryly as they saw how the figure almost lost her balance and leaned against the wall of the building to prevent herself from falling.

"Well if that's all..."Henry said in a relieved sigh, but then they saw how another figure left the club. A male this time, something flickered brightly in the moonlight at the place where his hand should be. "Who is that?" Daniel asked.

"Hook. He's back." Cora gasped.

"Bad news I take it?" Daniel asked judging by the way Cora had gasped his name, and Cora didn't even have to reply, as the scene in front of them already confirmed that question to be true.

* * *

She had had way too much to drink, she thought as she leaned against the wall of the club. She cursed inwardly for having to walk all the way back home. She hadn't thought this true. Then she heard someone walking up to her from behind, when she turned around, she saw it was the man she had danced and talked with inside earlier. She thought his name to be Killian, although she couldn't really remember anymore.

"You're leaving?" He asked with a smirk.

She nodded. "I thought I told you that already."

"Just as I was about to invite you to take this someplace else." He said and he moved closer to her.

She laughed nervously. "Oh, I uh– I'm not interested." Her head was spinning now, she really had to get out of here, she didn't feel too good.

"Really?" He asked now placing one hand right next to her head against the wall. She said a step backwards at the gesture and her back was met by the wall.

"R-really." She slurred, damn it Regina, try to appear a little bit more sober here please, she reprimanded herself.

"I don't think you really mean that." The man countered and with that he pushed her further against the wall and moved over to kiss her neck as he put his left arm to her waist.

"No..." She said weakly and she put her hands to his chest in an attempt to push him off of her.

"Oh come on." The pirate said in between kisses, kisses which she tried to avoid by moving away from his head, but because he still had his right arm next to her head that was a failed attempt.

"Let me go." She said with a little more force, but the pirate just shook his head. He now moved his right hand away from the wall, and just as she thought that he was giving up she felt how he tried to move up her dress. Her head was still spinning and when she looked into his cold blue eyes a sharp pain ran through her head, as if a memory was trying to break through. She tried to push him away again but he simply was too strong.

The man shook his head again. "No one says no to a pirate, love."

* * *

_**59 years**_** ago**

_Bae entered their secret headquarters with the little girl on his hip, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and her head was resting on his right shoulder._

_The seven boys had listened perfectly well to Bae's orders to deck the table for nine people this time, and they were all sitting at the table already, patiently waiting for their leader to come with the mysterious girl._

"_Thank you, boys." Bae said as he sat down and set the girl next to him. She moved as close to him as possible, looking at the boys at the table with wide scared eyes, the boys staring back with eyes equally wide, but from curiosity._

"_What's your name?" Tom eventually asked, no longer able to contain his curiosity. This triggered the other boys to ask questions too: "How did you get here?" "Where are you from?" _

_The girl said nothing for a while, then looked at Bae as to ask him for permission. The boy nodded encouragingly . "It's okay, they're my friends, they're good. You're safe here, you can tell."_

_This seemed to reassure the girl as she looked back to the group of boys. "I'm Regina Mills." She then said in a quiet voice. "I'm five years old and I fell through a purple whirlpool when I let the magic bean that my mommy made fall to the ground. And – " The girl's lower lip now started to tremble. "And I really miss my mommy and daddy and I want to go home." A single tear fell down her cheek._

_The boys were quicker than Bae in trying to comfort the girl and suddenly Regina was surrounded by six boys that all touched her back or shoulder as to sooth her, softly telling her not to cry and that they would take care of her._

_Bae smiled, they might all be boys without parents, but together they were a family, that's for sure._

_..._

_Regina had settled in with the boys rather quickly. There were moments when she would suddenly get sad, missing her parents, but overall she seemed to be fine. Bae had quickly found out that behind those innocent looking big brown eyes was a stubborn and smart young girl, that knew very well what she wanted and how to get it. However she was just as fierce as the boys were, and it didn't take long for her to join their hunting sessions and their little expeditions._

_Regina liked going out with the other boys. At first they had told her that she couldn't come with them because she was a girl, but she had shown them that she was just as good as them, and now she was allowed to come with them._

_And so she was now crouching on her stomach through the forest trying to remain unseen, when suddenly she bumped against something hard. "Ouch." She said groggily and when she looked up to see what she had run into she stared into a pair of bright blue eyes that most certainly belonged to a pirate. She shrieked and tried to crawl backwards, but before she knew it the pirate grabbed her and lifted her up in the air._

"_Well, look what we have here, it's a little __girl__!" The man said with an evil smile._

"_Let me go, you big meanie!" Regina said in her best angry voice._

"_Big meanie? I am insulted. I haven't even done anything to you yet." The pirate mocked._

"_You lifted me up in the air without my permission. That's mean." The girl retorted, her eyebrows in an angry frown._

"_I don't think that is mean. It would be mean if I would hang you with your shirt on my hook, like this." The pirate said and just like that he did as he had described._

_Regina gasped as she now was practically hanging in her t-shirt. "You're very strong."She then suddenly said._

_The pirate was slightly taken aback by the sudden admiration that was audible in the child's voice. "You think so, hm?" He asked slightly flattered._

_The girl nodded firmly. "Yes, you can lift me up with one hand. My daddy never did that." And at the mention of her daddy her eyes saddened._

_The pirate felt a short pang of empathy shot through his chest and in one shift move he placed her to the ground again._

"_Are you letting me go?" She asked._

_The pirate shook her head. "No you're coming with me. I'm sure your brave leader must like you very much so you make great leverage. Now come along." _

"_No thank you." The girl quipped as she stayed put._

_The pirate quirked an eyebrow. "That was not up for discussion, child." He said. "Either you walk by yourself with me or I take you with me. Running is not an option, you can't escape from me now."_

"_Still I'd rather not go with you."_

_The pirate couldn't help but chuckle at the child's oddly polite answer, and at the same time he was slightly irritated as this child didn't seem to be scared of him at all._

"_And what makes you think I'll actually let you go then?" He asked._

"_The fairies will help me." She simply answered._

_And just as he was about to ask what fairies she was talking about some sort of sweet smelling dust was thrown in his face, preventing him from seeing anything._

"_Bye mister Pirate!" The girl yelled as he heard her run away._

"_We will meet again, you little brat!" The pirate called after her as he was wiping his eyes, trying to get the dust out of it. "No one says no to a pirate, love!"_

"_Well then you should ask me a question to which I can say yes next time." He heard the girl quip, and then everything was quite again._

* * *

His words rang through her head. 'No one says no to a pirate, love' and as if she was struck by lightning she suddenly remembered. Images flashed before her eyes, of her mother, of her father, her house, her horse, of Rumpelstiltskin, of the bean, of Neal, of Neverland, of Hook..._Hook..._this was Hook!

She felt an incredible rage fill her body and then something else, something extremely powerful was growing inside her screaming to be released. And when she once again felt how his lips tried to kiss her she lost all control of it and let it all out.

* * *

"That bastard." Cora snarled as they saw how the pirate was pressing Regina against the wall.

"Can't you use magic to stop him?" Henry asked but Cora shook her head. "We're still too far away, I could hurt Regina too if I would do something now." And having that said she started to quickly walk towards her daughter.

Henry and Daniel following swiftly. Anger was building up in the three of them as they saw how Regina was helplessly trying to push the pirate off of her. After a while Regina seemed to give up as the pirate was able to kiss her once again and his hands started to roam her body. However when Cora was finally close enough to throw a fireball to the man assaulting her daughter, suddenly Regina let out a bloodcurdling scream. At the same time the music coming from the club increased considerably to a point where it was painful to hear as the tones got deformed in all different tones. Cora pressed her hands to her ears, paralyzed by the horrific sound and watched how a blue bolt of energy emerged from Regina and shot the pirate back until his back collided with a tree on the other side of the road.

When the blue light subsided the music went back to normal and Cora watched how Regina's trembling form collapsed. The few people that had still been inside the club now came running outside to see what had happened and everywhere people went out of their houses, woken by the explosions.

This wouldn't do, Cora thought. This would be bad for Regina's reputation, the people wouldn't understand, and so she froze everyone with one swift move of her hand. Only letting herself, Daniel, Hook, Henry and Regina unharmed by the spell.

Cora and Henry made their way over to their daughter as quickly as possible. Daniel wanted to go over to Regina as well, however just as he was about to do so he saw Hook moving from the corner of his eye. Rage filled him and he changed his directions. As soon as he reached the pirate he let his fist collide with the pirates jaw as hard as he could. And again. And again. "You do not touch her ever again, you hear me!" He growled and just as he was about to hit the pirate once more he felt a hand on his shoulder holding him back. When he looked over his shoulder he saw Henry looking at him with sad eyes.

"You should stop now, boy. It's enough."

"But he – if she hadn't –" Daniel started and he felt how a tear was making its way down his cheek.

"He will be punished. I'm sure sheriff Swan won't take this lightly." Henry said in a soft voice. "You must come now."

"Regina – " Daniel started. "Is she okay? What happened to her."

"She used magic." Henry said, a hint of fear in his voice. Daniel looked over to Regina who was clinging to Cora as he could hear her cries. "She's remembered too." Henry then added to his previous statement.

Daniel's eyes widened. "Really? Everything?"

The man shrugged. "At least she remembers her parents again." He said with a soft smile.

"Then why aren't you with her now?" Daniel asked.

"Because in this moment she doesn't need me. It's always been like this. She confides in me, but Cora is the only one who can comfort her when she is really upset." Daniel nodded in understanding.

And the two men looked how the older woman was cradling her daughter in her arms.

...

_Moments before_

Cora and Henry quickly approached their daughter who was slumped against the wall. Would Cora have objected against going to sit on the dirty street any other time, now it didn't matter as she went to sit on her knees in front of Regina. However she wasn't prepared for what happened next.

As soon as Regina recognized the woman in front of her to be Cora a small whimper left her lips as she lung forward and launched herself at Cora. "Mommy." She cried and Cora, too stunned to do anything else, just hold her daughter as she locked eyes with Henry.

"Mama. I missed you. Mama...don't leave me again...I missed you..." Regina repeated over and over again as sobs wracked her body.

Over Regina's shoulder Cora's eyes now fell on Daniel who was walking towards Hook and she didn't like the look on his face. "Henry..." She said softly. "Maybe you should go to Daniel."

Her husband took one look in the direction Cora pointed with her head and nodded in understanding.

Cora directed her attention back to her daughter who was still repeating the same thing over and over again.

"Regina." Cora said softly. "My baby girl, I'm so, so _so_ sorry for what happened to you. We never stopped looking for you. We love you so much, _I_ love you so terribly much."

At this Regina pulled away a little so she could look at her mother. "They said it wasn't true." She sobbed. "They said I was making things up. That you had left me and then...when you didn't come to get me I thought it was true...and I forgot! I forgot about you. I'm so sorry!" And after that she buried her face into the crook of her mother's neck again.

"Oh Regina, you don't have to be sorry. This world is a hard world, and you were only five. The important thing is that we have found each other again right?"

"I missed you and daddy so much." Regina replied.

"We missed you too, darling. Oh how we missed you. But now you're safe with us again."

Regina nodded in response and to Cora she was her little five year old girl again in that moment. "Are you alright sweetheart? Did he hurt you?" She then asked.

Regina shook her head. "No, I'm not hurt. I just feel...dirty from where he touched me." She shivered at the thought. "And I feel tired, and I can't really decide whether that's from the alcohol or because what just happened...I did magic, didn't I?"

Cora nodded with a sad smile as she brushed a few hairs out of her daughters face and tugged them behind her ear. "Yes my darling, you did."

"But it was blue. Not purple, like yours. Is that bad?"

"Those are questions that can be addressed later, my dear. Now we're just going to get you home. Alright?" Regina nodded at this and Cora helped her to get up and together they started to make their way home. Regina would stay over at Cora's tonight, and Henry would go to Daniel's house to send Emma to the club where she could arrest Hook, Daniel would watch him in the meanwhile.

Before Cora left she waved her hand and with that all people were magicked back into their houses, into their beds and brought to sleep, as she wiped their memories of the past hour. As if nothing had happened in the always so quite little town of Storybrooke.

* * *

**There you go, part two ****!**

**So yay, Regina remembers! And yaaaay Daniel beat Hook and also not so yay for Regina's weird blue magic – what is that?, en not so yay for almost no StableQueen in this chapter T_T.**

**Reviews make me happy so please lemme know what you think!**

** PrudenceKimberley I DIDN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING TOO EVIL JUST NOW DID I?**

**x**

**Metope**


	18. Chapter 17

**XVI**

That night, Regina slept safely in her mother's arms. When she woke up she didn't dare opening her eyes, afraid that it had all been a dream. But when she moved a little and felt how she was constrained in her movements by soft arms that were tightly wrapped around her. She opened her eyes at once and stared at the sleeping face of Cora...her _mother_.

She used the moment to observe her mother's face, looking for similarities between them. Cora's eyes fluttered open when Regina's hand softly touched her face along her jaw line. Other than their jaw line the younger woman hadn't found many similarities in appearance between them. Her mother's skin was lighter, her hair was lighter... yet when Cora opened her eyes she found the colour of their eyes to be the same as well. A radiant smile appeared on both their faces when they locked eyes.

"You really are here..." Regina whispered softly and at this Cora pulled her daughter in even closer, softly stroking her short dark hair.

"Yes I really am, sweetheart." Cora replied with the same softness in her voice.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." Regina then said. "I was...looking if I looked like you, but I didn't find very much similar features."

"Maybe not from the outside, but from the inside we're very much alike. My lovely, intelligent, sweet but stubborn and hot tempered girl." Cora smiled and Regina chuckled at this. At the sound of what probably was someone stumbling through the kitchen Regina pulled away from Cora a little.

"Where is daddy?" She then asked, and Cora's heart swelled with love and happiness at the way Regina addressed her husband. They really seemed to have their daughter back.

"I think he's making breakfast downstairs. He probably slept in the guestroom." Cora answered.

Regina nodded at this and then slowly got out of the bed. She started to make her way down the hall but then frowned as she realised what she was wearing. She had been so exhausted last night that she had fallen asleep in her dress. It was creased now and she wasn't too comfortable in it anymore.

Cora saw her daughter frown and understanding the problem she gave a short wave with her right hand and in a puff of blue smoke Regina now wore a new, clean, dark blue dress. Regina gasped at the action and whirled around to look at her mother with big round eyes. The idea of magic was still quite new to her and she was fascinated and surprised by it just as much as she had been at the age of five, also understanding just as little of it.

Her mother sent her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry dear. I don't really use magic anymore. And when I do it usually is only for good things now..I just thought you wanted something clean to wear."

Regina smiled thankfully at her mother, then frowned. "How do you mean you use it for good _now_? Didn't you always do that?"

Cora looked at her daughter's innocent eyes and sent Regina an apologetic smile. "Why don't we address everything that has got to do with magic later dear? Now first go to your father, I know you want to go to him and I'm sure he will want to see you too."

Her daughter nodded at this and then made her way downstairs. Cora sighed, how was she going to explain all the terrible things she had done while she hadn't had her heart, to Regina? The girl had only known about her mother using good magic, like when she had created the magic bean. Not ever had she seen her mother use dark magic, not then and of course not later.

When Regina entered the kitchen she saw her father stirring mix for what would probably become pancakes. She stopped in the doorway, just looking at her father for a while.

"Daddy." She then said softly. Henry immediately put the bowl he was holding down as he turned around and with two big steps he crossed the kitchen and walked over to his daughter, pulling her immediately into a tight hug.

Regina was stunned at first but then returned the hug just as lovingly as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Daddy..." She repeated. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart." Henry replied in a rather emotional voice. "I and your mother missed you so incredibly much." At his words Regina held on to her father even closer. "But now we are together, right?" She asked, and Henry had to smile at how small and childish she sounded in that moment.

"Yes my darling, now we're together again." He confirmed. After a few more minutes just standing there holding each other Henry released his daughter again and returned to the pancake mix.

"You were making breakfast?"

The man nodded. "Yes, I woke up early and I didn't want to wake you or your mother yet –" a big smile broke through on Regina's face when she heard Henry refer to Cora as her mother, "so I thought I would get started already. What kind of pancakes do you want?" He then asked. "It's not too late to add something now."

"Apple pancakes? Is that possible?" She walked over to her father and leaned on the kitchen counter so she could watch him while he worked.

He laughed. "Apples have always been your favourite."

Regina chuckled. The pair was startled by the sudden loud and adamant ringing of the doorbell.

"Who on earth would be so rude as to come at someone's door at eight in the morning on a Saturday." Regina murmured as she automatically made her way to the door. However when she entered the hall she saw Cora had been faster and was already at the door.

The moment she opened the door the loud sound of crying children filled the Mills Mansion and a nearly hysterical five year old came running in the house and launched himself at his mother as soon as he saw her standing in the hallway. Henry was followed by a crying Estelle in the arms of her father, who sent an apologetic smile to Cora as the woman closed the door behind him.

"Henry, Henry, calm down. Baby what's wrong?" Regina said worried, she had now crouched down to his level and tried to make him look at her, however the boy had his face buried in the crook of her neck as he desperately clung to his mother, still sobbing.

Realising that she wouldn't be able to get anything out of the boy when he was like this Regina just held him and sent a questioning look at Daniel. The young man shook his head and first turned to Cora. "Please Cora, can you take Estelle with you to another room. Apparently when her big brother starts crying she feels she has to join him in that activity."

Cora willingly took her granddaughter from Daniel and then left for the kitchen to join her husband. Daniel was right, as soon as Estelle wasn't able to hear Henry's cries anymore her hysterical crying was reduced to a soft sobbing.

"Henry was a little bit confused and scared when he didn't find you home this morning when he woke up." Daniel now explained to Regina.

"Really Henry?" Regina asked softly and she felt her son nod against her neck.

"But I have been a night away before, haven't I? And you were always fine with it then, what's the problem now, honey?" It was true that usually Regina had made sure she would be back home before Henry would wake up, but still, she didn't really understand what was the problem this time. Henry trusted Daniel, and he had been to sleepovers too, so he had been away from her for the night before.

"But you–you– you're always there for breakfast." The boy sobbed, and then he pulled away from Regina a little so he could look at her. Her heart broke when he placed a small, warm hand to her cheek, the other one leaning against her shoulder and she looked at his tear stained face. "You are always there! Some–sometimes you wasn't there when I went to sleep. But you were home when I woke up! Only when – d-d-daddy h–hit you and the doctor had to make you better you were away. And I th-thought you was hurt again and that you were gone!" At this he broke out into a million sobs again and all Regina could do was hold him, hold him and try not to start crying herself as well.

She was amazed by how much a five year old had still picked up from what was happening around him, even when they thought he didn't know. Leo had never hit her in front of Henry, or so she had thought, that one time...she had thought Henry had been asleep already, but apparently he hadn't been.

"Henry." Regina started in an unsteady voice that was thick with tears. "What Leo – what your daddy did to me back then..." She sighed, she didn't really know how to do this. It was still so painful to think back to her time with Leo, and it hurt her even more that Henry had suffered under it. She had tried so hard to keep him out of their problems, but this proved she had failed at that. She looked up in desperation at Daniel, whose fists, she saw, were clenched, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. However when he met her eyes his entire demeanour softened, and he answered the unspoken question with a short nod.

Daniel now crouched down too, so he would be at Henry's level to talk to the boy. "Henry..." He started softly. Now Daniel knew why Henry had been so upset he knew how to handle the boy and the calmness that spoke from his gentle voice made the boy turn around in his mother's arms so he could look at the man.

"Henry, " Daniel repeated now he had the boy's attention. "I understand that you are upset because you thought your mommy was hurt. But you have to know, what your daddy did to your mommy, that's not okay. He was not allowed to do that. It's never okay to hurt anyone physically. That your mommy was hurt, that's not something that is supposed to happen. Do you understand that?"

The boy scrunched up his nose a little as he thought about Daniel's words. "He should have had a time out?" He asked in a little voice.

Both adults couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's innocent question. Daniel nodded. "Yes, Henry. A very long time out. Here we don't do things like that to each other. And when your mommy is away sometimes, that doesn't mean that she is hurt. She was simply here, with Cora and Henry. She's fine you see?"

The boy slowly nodded.

"I know it's always a little bit scary when you don't know where your mommy is. But your mommy loves you very much, so she would never just leave you, she will always be there for you. And it's very brave of you to want to look after your mommy so much, but why don't you just let me do that, hm?"

Again the boy nodded and he wrapped his small arms a little bit tighter around his mother's neck.

"Because you won't hurt my mommy?"He asked in a tiny voice.

Daniel shook his head. "No, Henry, I would never hurt your mother on purpose."

"Because you love her and you're Estelle's daddy." The boy stated. A blush immediately crept over both Regina and Daniel's faces.

"Because I care a great deal about you, and your mother and Estelle." Daniel effectively avoided a direct answer to that statement. The boy seemed satisfied with that and then he pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek.

"I love you mommy." He said with a toothy smile.

"I love you too my baby boy." Regina said brushing his short hair to the side. And then just like that, Henry seemed to be his energetic and happy self again as he ran off into the kitchen. "Where is Estelle?" They heard him ask Cora and Henry.

"In the living room." Cora's answer came and Henry immediately made his way over to said place. Regina frowned a little at this answer, how could Cora have left Estelle alone in the living room? But when she peeked through the open door she saw that Cora had put her in her maxi-cosi that Regina had left there the day before when she had dramatically stormed out the house.

Regina suddenly felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Daniel standing behind her. "Are you alright?" He asked concerned.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm just...I didn't know that he still has picked up on so much that happened between me and Leo."

"He's a smart kid." Daniel said by means of explanation and as to tell her she shouldn't be too hard on herself.

She nodded. "I just hope he will forget about all of it eventually."

"Is everything alright dear?" The two adults now heard Cora asking as the woman appeared from the kitchen.

"No..." Regina sighed. "But I hope it will be. Is breakfast ready yet?" She then asked, as a signal that she didn't want to discuss this any further.

"Yes dear. There's enough for you and Henry to join us, Daniel." Cora said by way of invitation. "Why don't you two go to the dining table already and I will get Henry?" The older woman presented the proposal as a question but both adults new it really wasn't. Regina sighed. "Forcing us into being alone together won't make us spontaneously want to marry each other or something mother."

A small smile crept on both Daniel and Cora's lips at the title Regina used for Cora.

"I know that dear, but it might pave the way just a little bit more already." The woman said with a bright smile and then walked into the direction of the living room, leaving two adults behind that were blushing like teenagers.

When Cora entered the living room she saw that Henry was sitting next to his sister, softly rocking the maxi-cosi as he was talking to her. Her eyes saddened as she heard his words.

"You have a really cool, daddy, Estelle. I wish he was my daddy too. I don't have a daddy, not anymore, I only have our mommy...and your daddy, but I call him Daniel." He added to that. "First I was sad that my daddy is gone, but now it is okay. Because our mommy is much happier now. When I still had my daddy she cried a lot, you know, when she thoughts I couldn't hear. And my daddy was very mean to our mommy, but _your_ daddy, your daddy is cool. He says he will protect our mommy."

It was then that the five year old boy noticed someone was standing behind him, he turned around to see Cora watching him. A slight blush coloured his face as he got up and ran over to her.

He gestured for Cora to come closer with her ear so he could whisper something to her and the woman, confused by the boy's behaviour did as she was told. "Don't tell my mommy I said I want Daniel to be my daddy, please."

"I won't say a thing Henry." Cora whispered in response. "But why don't you want me to say that in particular?"

"Because I heard mommy say to Emma that she is done with all men, and I think that means she doesn't want another daddy for me, and like this Daniel is okay too. I will just call him Daniel." The boy answered with a serious face.

Cora couldn't do anything else than wrap her arms around the little boy and plant a kiss to his head. "Oh you are such a sweet boy, Henry." She said with a sigh.

"Henry is also a very hungry boy." The boy now quipped and Cora chuckled. "Well let's go get some pancakes then, shall we?"

"Are there chocolate pancakes too?" The boy asked.

"I'm sure Henry has made some especially for you dear."

"Yes!" The boy exclaimed happily and he ran the rest of the way to the kitchen as Cora went to get Estelle out of her maxi-cosi.

**For you mes chers. Because you left all these wonderful reviews on the last two chapters ;)! I really appreciate that! (And also because writing another HookedQueen chapter proved to be rather difficult today, but whatever :P)**

**Please leave a review ****!**

**x**

**Metope**


	19. Chapter 18

**XVIII**

"I want to know about magic. About magic and about how you got here" Regina said as she walked past Cora who held the door open for her. It had been a week since Regina had found out who her parents were. She hadn't told Henry yet, first she wanted to know exactly what had happened in the past. How everyone had managed to end up in this world.

"Do you really want to do this now, dear?" Cora asked as she followed Regina to the living room.

"Yes. You have been avoiding this matter for days now, don't deny it, and I need to know what happened." Regina tried to look as neutral as possible, but Cora saw a hint of desperation in her daughter's eyes. It was true. She had been avoiding this as long as possible, but now time had come to tell. Regina wouldn't take no for an answer, that much was clear. And so the old woman sighed and sat down next to Regina on the couch.

Cora sighed. "Alright, here we go." Regina frowned at how nervous her mother seemed to be, but she didn't say anything of it, apparently this was difficult for her to talk about.

"When you fell through the portal...Rumpelstilstkin prevented me and your father from rescuing you. I – we were so mad at him. I was furious. I asked him why he had done that and he answered that this was how it was meant to be. He said that I would cast a curse in 30 years that would take us to you. It only made me angrier, I swore to never use magic again. I was determined to find you, but I would not use dark magic. However...I hope that we would find you every day...I tried everything, fairies, gypsies, wizards, alchemists...but it seemed that Rumpelstiltskin really was the only one for the job. So..after twenty years of searching for a solution I gave up...I gave up and it turned me dark, Regina. Up until then the hope that we would be reunited again had kept me on the right path, but without that hope...it just hurt too much. And I started thinking, _why_ was it that I didn't want to turn to dark magic? It was because it didn't feel right, magic comes with a price, and the price of dark magic is always something terrible. It was my capacity to _love_, to _feel_ things that was holding me back...So I figured that, if I wouldn't be able to _feel_ anymore, I wouldn't have a problem using dark magic. And so I – I took out my own heart."

Regina gasped at her mother's confession and her hand automatically went up to her mother's chest where she felt the soft beating of a heart. Cora smiled a sad smile as she placed her own hand over her daughter's. "Don't worry, dear. I put it back, it's in there. I can feel again, I can _love_ again."

Regina just nodded. "So you got everyone here through dark magic?" She asked in a small voice, the entire story was intimidating to her, as she practically grew up without any kind of magic.

"Yes. I took my heart out, and so my quest for the dark curse began, and while I was searching...I let nothing stand in my way...nothing and no one." Cora let out a shaky breath and she had a pained look in her eyes filled with regret. "I caused so much pain Regina, I hurt people, I _killed_ people, I did all that and when I finally got my hands on the curse, I cursed an entire realm to live in a small town without knowing who they were for 28 years, while no one could leave and no time passed. It wasn't meant to happen that way, though. Right after I cast the curse your father helped me put my heart back in my chest, and as soon as we reached the new land we would reunite Snow White and her Prince Charming, the curse then would be broken and we would be able to find you. However that didn't happen. Rumpelstiltskin had promised us we would remember, but that wasn't the case. And so we lived on for 28 years until the saviour came and was able to reunite her parents and break the curse. And –"

Regina held her hand up at this. "Whoa, wait...Snow and Charming...that are Mary Margaret and David here, am I right? Snow wasn't just her nickname, it's her real name." Cora nodded.

"And the saviour is the child of Snow and David?" Regina continued and Cora nodded again. "But – But _Emma_ is the daughter of Snow and David...And Emma is the same age as her parents because they lived in a cursed town for 28 years..." Regina added to herself as it slowly started to dawn on her what Emma's part was in the entire story. "Emma is the saviour?"

Cora nodded once more. "Yes, dear. Your friend Emma is the saviour, and Neal is Rumpelstiltskin's son."

"How did they end up here, then?" Regina asked confused. "I mean...I met Neal in Neverland...but...that's not the Enchanted Forest either.."

"Neal, or Baelfire as his name was back in our land, ended up in Neverland the same way you did. However, he was supposed to go through the portal with his father, so Rumpel wouldn't be the Dark One anymore. The coward that Rumpelstiltskin is however, made that he broke his promise to his son and didn't go with him. It took him decades to find a way to get to this world. The bean that you took...it was meant to take Rumpelstiltskin to his son...The dark curse was in fact his plan B, so to say." Cora explained. "As for Emma. Snow and David were King and Queen back in the Enchanted Forest, as soon as they got word of my plans they consulted Rumpelstiltskin and the Blue Fairy for a way to stop me, they didn't know my motives for this curse. They were told their daughter would be the saviour in 28 years. The plan was that Snow would go through a magical wardrobe that would sent her to this land. However, Emma was born before the wardrobe was done, and so Emma went through the wardrobe alone as only one could pass."

"That's horrible!" Regina exclaimed. "Not ever would I send Henry or Estelle through a wardrobe alone to some other world. Not even if it would bring world peace or a cure for cancer."

Cora smiled as she caressed her daughter's face. "I know dear. But you have to understand, things were different back then...You shouldn't hold it against them –"

"– But you don't know how it was." Regina protested. "You don't know how she was when I met her. So scared, so hurt, so distrustful towards others because of what she had been through in the system. And for what? You didn't even really know because the curse hadn't even happened yet!"

Cora shook her head as she made a mental note to ask Regina how her time in the system had been. "Regina calm down. Emma has forgiven them, she truly has. And if she can, then I'm sure you can too."

Regina sighed, knowing her mother was right. "Still I would never send my children away like that." Regina murmured. Then another question slipped into her mind. "Mother?" She started. "You said all magic comes with a price...what was the price you had to pay for this curse?"

"My magic." Cora answered. "When I cast the curse I didn't have my heart and as the curse required the thing you loved most, that was my power to me: My magic."

"But you can still use your magic."

"That are just some easy tricks my dear. I was truly gifted with magic...however that gift I lost. Now I can only perform some easy magic, magic that anyone can do if taught right."

"Oh..." Was all Regina said, and she then looked at her hands, Cora saw she wanted to ask her mother something else, but apparently found it hard to do so. "Sweetheart, you can ask me anything, you know that right? What is it?" Cora therefore asked as she put her hands on Regina's to stop them from fidgeting.

Regina didn't lift her eyes from their hands. "By the time the curse broke...didn't you want to find me then anymore? Had you given up after all?"

"No, no of course not! Why would you think that, honey?" Cora asked shocked and she tilted Regina's head so her daughter had to look at her, dark eyes stared unsurely at her.

"Because, if I got it right, the curse has been broken for more than a year now, and if I hadn't come here to stay with Emma, you wouldn't have found me. So...that makes me wonder why you didn't look for me? I still have the same name as I had back then...and – and even Gold has found Neal, and as you just said he didn't even go by the same name anymore." Regina released an uneven breath and a single tear fell down her face.

Cora's heart broke at the sight of her daughter. "Oh baby, no, that's not it at all. Don't cry, baby, come here. " And Cora pulled her daughter into her and wrapped her arms tightly around her as she rocked her softly back and forth. Regina thankfully let her, although Cora felt how her body was still tensed. "When the curse broke it didn't break the enchantment on the border entirely. People can come and go, that is true, but those who were cursed will lose their memory of their true self as soon as they cross the border. So if I or your father were to cross the border we would instantly forget about who we are or why we crossed the border in the first place. Rumpel has figured out a way to prevent this from happening. However, because there is a lot of bad history between us he wasn't willing to help us and give us some of the potion he made. And so we were trapped again. And that is why we didn't go searching for you, because we simply couldn't, and since I don't have my powerful magic anymore I wasn't able to create a potion myself either. But we never gave up looking for you Regina. You have to believe me."

Cora knew her daughter did believe her when she felt Regina relax in her arms and return the hug. "I love you, mother." Was her only response.

"I love you too, sweetheart...is there anything else you would like to know?"

It was quite for a while and then Regina moved her head so that she could look up to her mother. "Do I have magic? Real magic I mean, not like the 'easy tricks' you spoke of?"

Cora smiled a smile that was a mix between pride and sadness. "Yes you have magic, dear. And by the looks of it, it is rather powerful."

"How do you know?"

"Honestly, I have never seen anything quite like your magic. Not ever did I see magic that had a blue colour as bright as yours. It's why I believe your magic is powerful, that...and Rumpelstiltskin mentioned as much."

Regina frowned. "I'm scared." She confessed. "I don't want to have anything to do with magic."

"You don't have to, honey. If you decide not to use your magic then you simply don't. Miss Swan has magic too, and she doesn't really use it either. You don't have to be afraid. And if there ever is anything you need to know about magic, you can always come to me. I will always answer you after my best knowledge."

Her daughter smiled a grateful smile at this. "Thank you." She wrapped her arms tighter around her mother and they sat like that for a while. "On another note..." Cora then broke the silence in a happy voice. "How are things going between you and Daniel?"

It earned her a deep sigh from her daughter who instantly moved away and playfully shoved her mother's arm. "Mother, for the last time. There are no things between me and Daniel but Estelle. And that's all."

"We will see about that, dear. I'll ask you in three months time again and I assure you, there will be something between you then."

Regina laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I like Daniel, but as a friend, and as the father of my daughter, but that's it. Why are you so determined to see us together?"

"Because I recognize true love when I see it, sweetheart."

**There you go, a short chapter update. I'm leaving for Rome next Wednesday for six days (HELL YEAH), and I wanted to update before I go for I'm not sure I'll be able to update from there (since we all have been to Rome once before we won't make this a very 'active' vacation so I might suddenly find some inspiration while relaxing at the pool :P but you never know :P)**

**x**

**Metope**


	20. Chapter 19

**XIX**

"You told her?"

"Yes, yes I did. There was no way I could postpone it any longer. She demanded to know, so I told her…everything."

"How did she take it?"

A sigh. "Honestly, better than I could've ever imagined."

"Oh really? Well that is great, Cora. You see, speaking the truth is always best."

Regina was about to enter the living room – she still had keys to the house, and was about to pick Cora up to go for lunch at Granny's – when she heard Cora talking with Snow, no less. As she thought it to be an odd combination, and as her curiosity won, she decided to eavesdrop on the conversation first, having the feeling they were talking about her, and she was right.

She heard her mother chuckle. "Yes, Snow, you are right. The only thing she was actually mad about was that you sent Emma away through a wardrobe, not knowing what would become of her."

"But it was her best chance!" She heard Snow's defensive voice.

"I know that dear, and I explained that to her. However she said that I didn't understand, because I didn't know what Emma was like when Regina met her. She – Did Emma ever tell you about her time in the foster home or the time before that?"

"Only little things. Not much, although I know she was hurt badly. She lived in the same home as Regina from her eighth until she was fourteen, after that the home closed and she was sent from family to family. I know she has had a difficult childhood. She doesn't like to talk about it very much." Regina heard Snow sigh.

"I wish we hadn't missed out on our children's childhood. It's only now that I finally fully understand how you feel." Cora said. "Suddenly you have a daughter again but you missed out on so much that it sometimes almost is as if she's a total stranger to you."

Regina frowned. Maybe she should make her presence known now; she didn't really want to hear more about this. In an odd irrational way she felt guilty for her mother's sadness. She knew she couldn't do anything about it, but yet she felt this way. And so she loudly pushed open the door and entered the room.

"Good afternoon mother, Snow." She said in a happy voice as she walked over to Cora to press a kiss to her mother's cheek. Cora smiled at the affection her daughter showed her. "To what do I owe this sudden outburst of affection, dear?" The older woman asked.

Regina shrugged. "Just because you're my mother." She smiled.

"You look a lot better, Regina." Cora now said, Daniel is finally taking care of Estelle when she wakes up at night, too I take it?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, it's going much better like this." She said happily. "Are you ready to go for lunch? – Snow will you join us?" She then asked.

"Oh, no David is waiting for me at home." Snow declined, things betweet her and Cora were still tense. She had only stopped by today because Emma had told her Regina now knew about the curse. And she wanted to know how things had gone. Even though Cora was still mayor of Storybrooke, not all the townspeople trusted the woman, and they expected Snow to keep a close eye on the mayor – which she did.

"O, well, maybe another time then." Regina smiled. "Are you ready to go, mother?" Cora nodded and so the three women made their way towards the front door. As they walked down the path to the street to their car Snow and Cora suddenly bumped into Regina who had abruptly stopped walking as soon as she had reached the street.

Just as Cora was about to ask what was wrong she saw what the problem was. At the other side of the street, leaning against Regina's car, was no one less than Gold. "What is he doing here." Cora hissed.

Snow shrugged "I don't know, but I'll ask him to leave." She said in a determined voice, and with that she walked towards the imp. "He's come for that favour." Regina whispered, fear evident in her voice.

"Come on, dear. We will walk to the diner, it's not that far." Cora said as she grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her to the left. However as soon as they started walking the Dark One suddenly magically appeared right in front of them.

A shriek escaped from Regina's lips as she set a step back closer to her mother, who put a protective hand to her daughter's arm.

"You can't hide from me forever, dearie. You owe me a favour, the sooner we'll get over with this, the better! No one breaks deals with me! I expect you to stop by at my shop soon." The imp said with a malicious grin, after which he disappeared again.

"Now calm down Regina, breathe slowly." Cora said in a soft voice as she noticed her daughter's quick breathing. At her words Regina abruptly turned around, tears in her eyes.

"Calm down?" She breathed. "I got myself into a deal with the _Dark One_. Oh, how could I have been so stupid, you warned me about him, yet I didn't listen. Who knows what kind of horrible favour he will ask of me!"

"You didn't know what kind of man you were dealing with, back then." Cora said and she pulled her daughter towards her in a hug, from the corner of her eye she saw Snow approaching them. "Are you okay, what happened?" The woman asked.

"Gold was as lovely as to remind Regina of the favour she owes him." Cora said with pursed lips.

Snow nodded in understanding. "Well, don't be afraid Regina. We will figure something out."

"How on earth will we figure something out? No one ever broke a deal with him, you heard him yourselves!"

Cora smiled a sad smile. "Well that's not entirely true dear."

"It's not?"

"No – " Snow backed Cora up, knowing what the woman was about to tell her daughter. "Your mother did break a deal with him once."

"You did? How?" Regina asked in disbelief as she pulled away from her mother a little. Cora smiled at the surprise in her daughter's eyes.

"Yes, my dear." Cora said, cupping her daughter's cheek. "When I was younger I was foolish enough to promise the imp my first born child, just so I could marry your father."

Regina gasped. "You didn't want me?" She asked in a small voice as more tears fell.

"It wasn't like that" Cora quickly said. "I was foolish, I wasn't pregnant with you yet, and I didn't know how it felt to be pregnant or to be expecting a child, to have chance to become a family. However, when I got pregnant with you, I loved you right away. I couldn't give you away, of course. You were and still are my greatest treasure, the most important thing in my life. And so when Rumpel came to …collect you, I proposed to him another deal. At first he was reluctant, saying he _needed_ you, that the future told him you were destined for great things, that you would lead him to his son. However, I suggested to him to find him another way to cross realms, and I don't know why, but eventually he agreed."

"It's why you made that bean." Regina said in understanding. Cora nodded.

"So you see, we will do the same this time." Snow said.

Regina shook her head. "Yes, because it went so well the last time. In case you missed it, that deal caused me to fall through a portal, live in a jungle for decades without aging and then live a miserable life in this world for twenty-eight years."

Both Cora's and Snow's eyes saddened at the woman's words. "It was that bad in the foster system?" Snow asked in a quiet voice.

Regina moved away from the pair a little so she didn't have to look at them. "Well, I was lucky…" She started. "I only changed families once before I ended up in the foster home and stayed there until I was eighteen…it wasn't too bad there. Neal arrived at the foster home right away, however others….others weren't so lucky."

"Emma?" Snow asked.

"She should tell you that herself." Was Regina's abrupt answer. "It's not my place to tell. Now, let's have lunch shall we? Snow, are you still determined not to join us because you're afraid of my mother?"

Snow's mouth formed a surprised 'o' at Regina's question and Cora smirked, her daughter was just as observant as she was.

"Well, maybe David can have lunch without me for once." Snow said as her cheeks turned red.

"Great. Let's go then." Regina smiled and with that she resumed her way to her car. With Gold gone it was no use walking the entire way to the diner if they had a car to their disposal, now was it?

**There you go, a small update from Rome ****! I'm waiting for the other's to get ready for dinner so I thought I might as well write a small chapter :P.**

**Reviews make me happy!**

**X**

**Metope**


	21. Chapter 20

**XX**

"Regina! Regina! It arrived, all of it!" Regina was met by the excited voice of Emma who was practically pushing Daniel into the wall to get passed him when he had opened the door to her.

"What arrived dear?" The brunette asked calmly while she was feeding Estelle her bottle, her head in an odd position; the little girl was growing fast and her little chubby arms could now reach up far enough to grab at Regina's hair, which she was doing now as well.

"Our stuff from the foster home." Emma breathed. "Our files, our belongings everything. They had kept everything!"

At this Regina felt the same excitement as Emma did and she stood up from the couch, Estelle still in her arms. "Oh but that is great Emma! Then we can now invite our parents for a get together! You should call your parents – or no wait, first you should call Neal, because...I guess that his father needs to be there too?" Regina asked and her face changed from excited to worried.

"Don't worry. Gold has his weak and evil moments, but when he is with Neal he is no harm at all. He knows he needs to behave if he still wants to have contact with Neal."

Regina slowly nodded. "Okay, I think it is alright then."

"May I ask what all of this is about?" Daniel now joined the conversation. Regina whirled around to look at Daniel, excitement in her eyes again. "Well, "She started. "You know how I told you about how I overheard the conversation between my mother and Snow the other day, how they regretted that they had missed out on our childhood so much?"

Daniel nodded in confirmation and so Regina continued. "Well, it got me thinking, and I started wondering whether our foster home still had our things. While we were in the foster home we had quite a lot of photo moments and other memorable moments like that. Neither of us took our things with us when we left, normally you do, but we both...uhm...rather left that time behind. So I thought, why not see if they still have our things and can send them to us. I called Neal and Emma and they too thought it was a good idea and so now our stuff is here. So we are planning on calling a meeting with her parents and then show them all the things from our childhood, to make up a little for what they lost."

Daniel smiled when Regina was done explaining. "I think that is a wonderful idea Regina. I think Cora and Snow would truly be happy to get already only the slightest look into what your life has been without them."

Regina nodded happily. "So..." She continued and by the way she smiled at him he already knew what time it was, and he held up his hand as to stop her from continuing. "I will look after Henry and Estelle while you're gone, no problem."

Regina let out a happy laugh and rushed forward to give him a hug, careful to not squish Estelle who she was still holding. As she realized what she was doing she quickly moved away from him. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "I'm just so excited that I can finally do something back to Cora and Henry after they have helped me so much."

"Or you just wanted to have an opportunity to hug him." Emma remarked.

"Emma!" Regina huffed. "That's not it!"

Daniel chuckled. "It's alright Regina."

"Yes, well...I should put Estelle to bed, it's time for her nap." Was Regina's reply as she didn't really know how else to handle this situation. And with that she left the room.

Regina stayed in her room after Estelle had fallen asleep, just so she could look a little longer at her sleeping girl. After a while she heard the door open and close again and felt how Daniel joined her silently. Together they watched their sleeping daughter. After a while Daniel let out a content sigh. "You know what, Regina?" He whispered. "I truly am so incredibly grateful for what you gave me. She's the most beautiful sleeping baby girl in the world."

A blush crept up Regina's cheeks at his words. "Well it wasn't just me who made her happen now was it?" She replied.

"Yet she has her mother's looks already, it's why she's so pretty."

Regina started to feel uncomfortable by Daniel's words. He shouldn´t be talking to her like this, they weren´t together and from that perspective this was going too far. "Did you let Emma out?" She therefore asked, changing the subject. He nodded. "I'll go call her then so we can set a date." And with that she turned around and left the bedroom.

_"No, no! I'll be good, I'll be good!" Regina woke up by the screaming of the new girl she shared a room with. She herself had been here for two months now, and yesterday a new girl had arrived. She was only eight years old and she truly had the most beautiful blonde hair Regina had ever seen. However her green eyes didn't fit the princess like hair, because her eyes told Regina Emma had been through a lot already in her young life. Emma had probably had to cope with a family like the last one Regina had been in too, judging by the bruises on her arms and legs and even her belly and back that she'd seen when the girl had changed into her sleepwear. And now the girl was having a nightmare. _

_She didn't know what to do. She didn't really know the girl yet, maybe Emma didn't want her to know she was having a nightmare. On the other hand, she sounded so scared, so afraid and there was no way she could sleep with the girl screaming like this. And so the thirteen year old let herself slip out of bed and made her way to the other side of the dark room where Emma was tossing and turning in her bed._

_"No! Please don't hurt me!" The girl cried, tears staining her face. Gently Regina put out a hand to touch the girl, she gasped as Emma violently slapped her hand away the moment she touched her. "Don't touch me! Don't lock me up!" The girl cried hysterically. _

_Regina frowned. This nightmare was a truly horrible one, Emma needed to wake up and quick. And so she once again tried to touch Emma, but this time she was more firm, grabbing Emma's arms and gently shaking her to wake her up. "Emma." She whispered. "Emma wake up, it's just a nightmare Emma, it's not real. Whatever you're experiencing in that dream, it's not real. You have to wake up!" Emma kept resisting Regina but after a while Regina felt that her words started to get through to the girl, as she calmed down a little and then her eyes slowly opened._

_"Regina?" The girl asked in a small voice, the brunette smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's me. There's no need to be afraid, it was just a dream." At the mentioning of her dream the girl's lip started to tremble and then she started to cry, heart-breaking sobs wracking her little body._

_"Oh, now don't cry, Emma. It is alright. You are safe here. No one is going to hurt you here." Regina spoke softly to Emma as she sat down on the bed and then pulled Emma into her arms a little. The girl immediately clang to her night gown, crying on her shoulder. _

_Regina didn't really know what to do. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked helplessly but the blonde child shook her head. "Do you want me to go?" Again the blonde curls bounced as the girl gestured ' no'. "Alright," the young teenager said. "I will just hold you like this then until you're not so upset anymore." And so she sat with Emma in her arms, however, the girl didn't seem to calm down. After a while Regina started to sing a lullaby, she had learned it from her first family, it was a nice song and it had always calmed her down when she had had a nightmare. It worked on Emma too, as she felt how the small body in her arms relaxed more and more and the sobs wracked her body less often. "There, you're alright, you see?" Regina spoke softly. "You think you can go back to sleep now?" The girl nodded and Regina gently released herself from the hug as she gently pushed the child a little to lie her down again and tucked her in. All the time green orbs were following her every movement, yet she didn't speak. _

_It was only when Regina had just settled in her own bed again that she heard the young voice of Emma again. "Regina?"_

_"Yes?" _

_"Why did you help me?"_

_Regina frowned at the question, it seemed to be such a silly one. "Well, because you were upset of course, and it seemed as if you needed someone to comfort."_

_"Oh...thank you..."_

_"You are welcome, Emma." Regina whispered back, a smile on her face._

_It was silent again for a while after Emma started to speak again._

_"Regina, are you still awake?"_

_"Yes I am Emma, what is it?"_

_"Did you help me because...you...think I could be a nice person?"_

_Regina had to think about that question for a while. "Well, yes, I guess so." She then said. "As I already said, you needed someone to pull you from that nightmare, and I couldn't stand seeing you so afraid. And even though I've only known you a day, you seem like a really nice girl Emma, I think we could be friends."_

_"We could?" The surprise in the blonde's voice almost Regina laugh._

_"Yes of course we could. If you would want that, that is.."_

_"Oh yes Regina! I would love that. I never had a friend before!" The girl said, excitement audible in her voice._

_Regina's eyes saddened at Emma's confession; even she had had __some__ friends when she had been with that horrible last family. Emma's life must have been really hard up until now. "Well Emma." She said in her happiest voice. "Then I am honoured to be your very first friend."_

_The girl giggled in response._

_"But now we need to go to sleep."_

_"Ok, goodnight Regina."_

_"Goodnight Emma."_

"Well dears, tell us, why did you call us together?" Cora asked, she, Henry, Snow, David and Gold were all sitting in the living room of the mayoral mansion, as Neal, Regina and Emma were standing in front of them with goofy grins on their face.

"Well, " Regina started. "I overheard a conversation between you,and Snow the other day. About how you both regretted that you'd missed out on our childhood, and it got me thinking. I somehow felt guilty for that and – "

"Oh, honey there is no need to feel guilty." Cora interrupted her daughter.

"No, mother please let me speak." Regina said holding up her hand to stop Cora from speaking, and at Cora's short nod she continued. "Well, it got me thinking, and I started wondering whether the foster home both I and Neal and Emma have spent the larger part of our lives would still have our files and belongings so maybe I could give you that. I called Neal and Emma to ask what they thought, and they thought it to be a good idea, and so now we are here with a box filled with old things and files of me, Emma and Neal." Regina concluded and the three adults now stepped away and a big box became visible to the people on the couch.

"We haven't looked into all of it ourselves yet, for we just wanted to show you as soon as possible." Emma now said, so it will be just as big a surprise to find what's in there to us as it will be to you.

"So….do you like it?" Neal now asked as the five adults on the couch still hadn't said anything.

"Emma…" Snow eventually sighed. "That is…so….thoughtful of the three of you." Emotion was now clearly audible in her voice and she got up from the couch. "Come here I want to give you a hug." Emma let out a nervous laugh as her mother's arms wrapped around her.

Henry now too got up from the couch as he walked over to Regina and pulled her into a hug. "A greater gift you could not have given us, sweetheart."

"Thank you, daddy." Regina smiled back at her father, glad that all parents seemed to like their gift. Even Gold seemed happy, as she saw how he and Neal shared a look that spoke gratitude and love. Gold wasn't much of the hugging type.

"Well" Emma said as she broke away from her mother's hug. "Let's have a look to what's in that box then shall we?"

They shoved the box closer to the couch, Cora, Henry, David, Regina and Gold took place on the couch and Snow, Emma and Neal went to sit on the carpet around the box.

Carefully Neal started to open the box and the first thing they saw, lying on top was a purple ribbon. "Oh, that is yours Regina, it's what you were wearing in your hair the day of the accident." Cora gasped as she carefully took the ribbon in her hands. A tear strolled down her face.

"Oh mother, don't cry already, this is a very big box, at this rate you won't have any tears left when we get to the bottom." Regina joked.

Cora wanted to protest but was interrupted by a squeal coming from Snow as she pulled a fluffy woollen blanket with a dark purple ribbon out of the box. "Your baby blanket. I made it for you myself." She said in soft voice, hugging the blanket to her chest.

"You know, I've always regretted that I didn't take that with me." Emma confessed.

Neal now picked up what seemed to be a photo album out of the box. When he opened it a loud laugh escaped his mouth. "Oh I remember this, would you look at this Gina, I totally owned you in this fight!" He put the book in the middle of the circle they formed so everyone could see. The picture showed Neal in swimming trunks with a water pistol in his hands which he was aiming on a thirteen year old Regina who was thoroughly soaked already, her red bathing suit clinging to her small body as she had her eyes closed on the pictures and her hands up trying to protect herself from the water.

Regina chuckled. "I got back at you in the second round, it's a shame there isn't a picture of that." She studied the picture a little longer and then laughed again. "Oh Emma, look at you! So adorable!" And she pointed with her finger at the corner of the photo where a tiny eight year old Emma was sitting in a t-shirt and shorts, watching the kids play.

They all cooed at the adorable girl. "Why weren't you in swimming suit, Ems?" David now asked. "Uhm…" Emma started and she looked at Regina for help. The brunette immediately realised that this picture was taken when Emma had just arrived. She hadn't wanted to wear a bathing suit because it would reveal many of the bruises she had had.

"Oh, Emma had just arrived to our home only a week earlier. She was still a bit shy." Regina therefore quickly said, receiving a thankful look from Emma as their parents seem to buy the excuse.

They turned the page and now saw a picture of Regina in a dress with Emma on her shoulders. They were both smiling brightly into the camera, Emma with an ice cream in both hands.

"I love that photo." Snow said softly and Cora nodded in agreement. The photo next to it was one of Neal, the teenage boy was staring into the camera with a serious face.

"You look very much like your mother there, boy." Gold now spoke for the first time, and Regina saw by the look on Neal's face that it meant a lot to him, what his father had just said.

They continued to look at pictures, they 'oohed' and 'aaahed' at the adorableness that were their younger forms. When the album had come to an end Gold picked three files out of the box. "What are these?" He asked but it became known quickly when he opened the first. _History of Regina Mills_ it said. When he turned the page a gasp left the mouths of the adults. The page showed a picture of a thirteen year old Regina in only her underwear. She stared sadly into the camera, a pain in her eyes that no thirteen year old should have had to experience as her arms and legs were covered in bruises. Regina quickly slammed the file shut. "That's nothing." She quickly said, but it was too late, as she felt her father's hand on her shoulder and when she turned towards him she saw the sad eyes of both her father and mother. "It's okay." She reassured them. "I wasn't there for long, it's why they placed me into the foster home, so I would be away from there. It's not your fault, okay? It wasn't that bad anyways, other kids have had much worse to endure."

At this Snow remembered what Regina had said earlier to her and Cora, she had hinted that Emma had had a lot to endure and so she quickly grabbed the file that said Emma Swan from the pile and opened it. "No, mom don't look into that!" Emma yelled when she saw what her mother was doing. But Snow didn't listen and when she turned the page tears started to fall from her eyes at the horrible sight of her eight year old daughter covered in bruises on not only her arms and legs but also on her belly, her throat and her cheeks. There were cuts on her arms and legs as well and the green eyes of the girl that stared into the camera, they looked so incredibly sad and broken. "Oh Emma…" She gasped. "What did we do to you."

Emma looked at her parents, Snow was openly crying and she saw tears were glistening in David's eyes as well. Her lips tightened into a thin line as she grabbed the file from Snow's lap and slammed it shut. "No." She said in a firm voice. "Stop it. This is _not_ your fault. Yes my life sucked for the first eight years of my life, and then after the foster home had to close when I was sixteen it sucked again. But in between I had a wonderful time in the foster home with Regina and Neal, and later things worked out as well. And now I am here, and I am happy, and I have found you guys who are my family, and I have Neal and Regina and everything worked out. So stop the crying and the pity. This was supposed to be a happy afternoon."

Snow and David stared at her daughter with shocked eyes. "I agree with Emma." Regina now spoke.

"Look, we are all smart people, and we all know what it is like to live in this world in the foster system. Yes our lives sucked for a while, Emma's more than mine. But as Emma said, we turned out just fine, and now we are all together, so let's just drop the subject and move on, alright?"

The Charmings and Regina's parents now slowly nodded. "Shall I get a new item from the box then?" Neal asked and at the nods of several people he did as he suggested. "Oh, Emma isn't this yours!" He exclaimed when he held a video camera up in his hand.

"Whoa, yes it is! I got that for my eleventh birthday! Wow, that they still had that!" Emma said amazed as she took the camera from Neal. "There's still a roll of film in it!" she turned towards the television and DVD-player behind her. "Come, shall we take a look at what's on it?" She asked excitedly. "Could be fun." Neal said and at the excited nods of their parents – they now had the chance to see their children on film, what parent wouldn't want that – she plugged the camera into the DVD player and pressed play.'

"Oh, that's our school." Emma said as they saw a large corridor with lockers on both sides. The camera zoomed in to a group of school girls standing against the lockers on the right. "Oh that's me." Regina laughed at her sixteen year old self.

"You were a cheerleader?" Cora asked surprised, never having guessed her daughter to be one of the athletic kind. Regina nodded. "Yes, I was very dedicated as well, I was the captain of our team."

Eleven year old Emma started walking as they could see the camera now approaching the group of school girls. "Hey Regina." They heard the girl say.

"Oh my god Emma, your voice is so cute!" Snow squealed and she pulled her daughter into a hug as if she were hugging the eleven year old instead. "Can't – Breathe – "Emma joked and Snow loosened her hold on her daughter a little.

Teenage Regina quirked an eyebrow at the young girl that had spoken to her. "What is it, Emma, can't you see I'm busy?" She said annoyed running her hand through her long ponytail, and her friends laughed at her words.

"I – I was wondering if you wanted to go to watch the new Spiderman movie with me this afternoon." The girl said, her voice less confident at Regina's unkind way of speaking.

The brunette huffed. "And what makes you think _I_ would want to watch such a childish movie with such a baby as you? I have better things to do. And why are you even filming all of this, it's ridiculous!"

"It's because I – I want to make a documtary of my life, so I'm filming everything. And why don't you want to go? You love spiderman?"

The brunette let out an evil laugh. "First of all, I do not like such silly movies. And second of all, little girl, it's docu_men_tary, I suggest you work on pronouncing the 'difficult' words tonight instead of going to the movies."

"Why are you so mean, Regina!" The girl now huffed her voice angry and hurt.

"I am not mean, dear. I'm just not feeling up to wasting my time with you. I have better things to do, as I said, training for the big game for example. Now run along, you've wasted enough of my time already." Regina's friends now all started to laugh after which the camera turned black.

"Oh my god!" Regina gasped. "I was _such_ a bitch to you, Emma! I'm so sorry!"

"That wasn't very nice of you indeed, dear." Cora said disapprovingly to her daughter.

Emma chuckled. "Apologies accept Regina. And don't worry about it, it's the age, I was ten time worse when I got sixteen, you got to keep appearances up in high school if you want to survive."

"Yes, but still, this was way out of line. I can't understand why I would be so mean to you."

"Well…" Emma said. "I believe this is right after I had thrown up over your favourite dress because I had a nasty kind of stomach flu, you were sooooo mad about that!"

"Oh that's obviously a valid reason." Regina said sarcastically. "But you're probably right, such an irrational unfair thing might have been a reason to be so mean to you in my sixteen year old mixed up mind."

Emma nodded. "Yes, and after that, you did this, and then I got even madder with you when I found out that…" Emma's eyes widened as she realized what she was about to say. She met Regina's eyes and found them to be equally round, as on cue they both turned to Neal, who had no clue what was going on and just looked confused at the two women. "What?" He asked, "What is it?"

"Yes dearies, what giant secret did you just remember?" Gold asked smirking at the shocked faces of the blonde and brunette.

"Nothing." Regina said, her voice unusually high pitched. Just as everyone else in the room wanted to protest the camera switched on again now showing Emma and a friend talking to each other in the school gym. The camera was lying on a table or any of the sorts and she'd probably forgotten that it was still on.

"She was such a bitch." They heard Emma say and Snow squealed once again at the adorable form of the young Emma in her sport outfit. The girl she was talking to nodded and then reassuringly put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Well, I could go to the movies with you if you'd like that?"

A bright smile appeared on the girls face. "You're a good friend Martha." She smiled. "Come let's get changed and then we can go." The other girl nodded and together they ran off to the changing room.

"Oh, you forgot your camera." Cora said.

"Well obviously I'll get it back, so I wouldn't worry too much about it." Emma joked.

Someone else now entered the gym. It was Regina, still in her cheerleading costume. She was alone and she confidently walked over to the trampoline that was standing in the middle of the gym and moved it so that it was facing the heavy mat that was lying there. Then she set a couple of steps back after which she started running towards the trampoline, jumped on it and did a trick high in the air before landing gracefully with two feet on the mat.

Henry clapped in his hands from excitement. "That was incredible my dear." Regina chuckled. "It was okay."

The Regina on the screen stepped off the mat and started to walk back to the trampoline when she was startled by someone clapping. It didn't take long before a boy entered the television screen, still clapping. "That was wonderful, Gina. You're going to do great tomorrow!"

Regina's face brightened. "Neal!" She exclaimed happily. "I'll come in a second, I just want to try two other tricks and then we can go."

At this the eyes of the three young adults in the room widened. "Emma! You filmed this!?" Regina exclaimed.

"Not on purpose!" Was Emma's defence. "I forgot my camera, I didn't know this was on here!"

"Emma put it out, I don't need our parents to know _everything_ of our past." Neal now said.

"O look," Regina said sarcastically. "Mister Slowpoke finally realises what's going to happen next as well."

"Did you just call me a Pokémon?" Was Neal's reply. "Does it matter? Emma just put it off!" Regina countered.

"Well I just didn't expect you to know anything about Pokémon." Neal answered.

"I have a five year old son remember? Emma!" Regina turned towards Emma, while the film was still playing; Regina had just done her second trick.

"I'm trying, but it doesn't listen!" Emma said in a panicked voice.

"What is it, children, what can't we see?" Cora asked confused, but her jaw almost hit the floor as she saw what was happening on the screen now, immediately understanding why the three hadn't wanted their parents to see this. On the embarrassment scale from one to ten this was most definitely at least an eight to them.

Regina groaned and put a pillow from the couch over her head as to hide herself from the scene playing in front of her.

_Neal applauded again after Regina had done her last trick and now walked over to him. "Very impressive, babe." He said._

"_Yes, you think I"ll do well tomorrow?" She asked standing still in front of him, hope in her eyes showing she really cared a lot about what he thought. He nodded reassuringly, snaking his arms around her waist pulling her close to him. _

"_You'll most certainly be great. You're the best cheerleader I've ever known."_

_Regina giggled at his words, however these giggles were silenced as Neal now pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was quickly deepened and Regina moved her hands up to Neal's head so her fingers brushed through his hair. They parted for air shortly before crashing their lips together again. Neal slowly started moving them until Regina's back hit the wall. _

_The two teenagers were so busy that neither of them noticed the young girl with the blonde hairs standing in the doorway staring at them; a mixture between betrayal, anger and hurt in her eyes as she watched them kiss. Neal's hands on Regina's waste and the brunette's hands in his hair._

_However when Neal's right hand started to move lower and then up again under Regina's cheerleading skirt the brunette broke the kiss and grabbed his hand. "No, don't – I – I'm not ready." She said in small voice._

_In this young Emma saw her chance and before Neal could say anything she spoke up. "Ahw, aren't you allowed to touch her where you want, Cassidy?"_

_Neal quickly turned around and Regina set a step to the right so they could both see the blonde girl coming their way. "Shut up, Emma." Regina hissed._

"_Well you can't really blame him for wanting to." Emma continued, ignoring Regina. "Your skirt is so short it doesn't leave much to one's imagination. It's almost a crime to not let the poor boy have what he wants."_

_Regina's dark eyes widened at the insult. "Emma Swan, get, out, NOW!" She roared. "One; this is not my choice of clothes, it simply is the school's cheerleading uniform. Two; You are just jealous that Neal is my boyfriend and not yours, as he sees you for the child you are!"_

_A look of hurt crossed Emma's face at Regina's words. Quickly she ran over to the camera, as she came closer a tear was visible on her cheek, she grabbed the camera and ran out again. _

The television turned black, now indicating this was the end of the film. Regina was still lying with her head backwards and a pillow on her face, Emma was lying on her belly on the ground face down, her head on her arms and Neal was intently staring at his hands. The other adults were staring at the screen with wide eyes and mouths agape.

Gold was the first to break the silence. "Well that was….unexpected…"

"How long were you – For how long – This was – How many – " Cora struggled to get the right question out of her mouth.

"We were together for four years I think; only the last two it was really serious." Regina said from under the pillow, knowing what Cora wanted to know. Neal nodded in confirmation.

"We broke up when I left the foster home. A long distance relationship didn't really seem like a good idea at the time." Neal said.

"I can't believe my daughter was involved in some weird teenage high school love triangle." Snow breathed.

"At the age of _eleven_." David added to that.

Emma shrugged. "Well, apparently, when you know, you know." She grinned. "And I won in the end."

"O my god, you didn't just say that." Regina now laughed as she threw the pillow to Emma's head.

"Mister Cassidy." Henry's voice then sounded through the room and when Neal looked up to look at the man he gulped at the stern face he met. "If you ever lay your hands on my daughter again I will know where to find you."

"Daddy!" Regina exclaimed in shock. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"Uh…yes, mister Mills, that's understood…I guess?" Neal answered confused at the sudden hostility.

But just like that Henry's angry face changed into a smile. "Oh it's fine Neal. I just never got the chance to say that to any boy wanting to court my daughter, so now I saw my chance."

At this the entire room started laughing and Regina leaned against her father who lovingly put an arm around his daughter. "I love you daddy." She said softly.

"I love you too dear." Was his reply.

**Sooooo what do you think xD I had so much fun writing this xD. And seriously I thought; if they spend so much time together in the foster home, there must have been something between Regina and Neal at some point? Don't hate me too much :P?**

**OH END, about Daniel...I know there hasn't been a lot of stablequeen recently BUT what I wrote down in this chapter paves the way for a StableQueen storyline to enter this story again...I first needed to have the family mess between Cora and Regina and Henry cleaned up; it would be too much to do all at once and too unrealistic to leave one entirely alone. So Daniel is around but he's friendzoned by Regina in this moment..as you probably can tell right now this is a slow stablequeen developement. Believe me, I want them to be together just as much as you do, but Regina is damaged, Estelle was, and let's call it what it is, a drunken mistake...in the sense that she was so drunk that her fears and worries weren't there to prevent her from doing what she did...so we need to move past those fears first for there to be established StableQueen. But it will be there in the next chapters, for I feel like the family issues are fairly cleaned up now :)!**

**Please review ****!**

**X**

**Metope**


	22. Chapter 21

**XXI**

"I got a job." Regina said happily as she entered the living room.

"You did? Where?" Daniel getting up from the couch with Estelle in his arms as he had just fed her.

"As a music teacher at the school." Regina beamed.

"But you don't have a teaching degree."

"I know, but I will be able to get that while I teach. They need someone to direct and organize the annual student's concert, and the current music teacher has fallen ill. Isn't it great? – That I now have a job I mean, not that the teacher is ill." Regina rambled.

Daniel smiled a fake smile. "Yes it's nice. You can start pay rent then."

Regina frowned at his words, normally he would have hugged her or at least he would have reacted more enthusiastic than what he was doing now. Time to think longer about it she didn't have as a little five year old came storming in the living room.

" Mommy!" He exclaimed happily as he crashed into her and Regina laughingly scooped him up in her arms.

"Hi, my brave knight. How was your school day today?"

"It was okay." The boy answered. "We made a bird house. And – And Tim and Carl got detention because they were fighting during lunch break." Henry's eyes were wide as he told his mother the in his eyes scandalous fact.

"Well, they shouldn't have been fighting." Regina answered and Henry nodded in agreement. "Yes, daddy said that too when I told him. He says that you should never use your hands to solve a problem, but only your words."

"Well that is true, baby." Regina smiled as she pressed a kiss to his cheek, she loved that she still was allowed to do that. She dreaded the day he would find himself too big for his mother's affection.

She put him down to the floor. "I'm going to play with my cars." He said and then ran off again. Regina watched him leave with a smile on her face, however the smile disappeared when she turned around and she saw what she thought to be anger on Daniel's face.

"What is it?" She asked worried.

"You shouldn't have let him call me his father." The man said in a clipped voice while he put Estelle down in her crib.

"Oh…" Regina said slowly. "I hadn't noticed that he –"

"Well you should have!" Regina frowned at Daniel's rude interruption of her words.

"Excuse me but what's going on here?" She asked annoyed. "Why are you being so rude to me?"

"I don't know what you mean." Daniel answered. "I just don't want him to call me his father, because I am not."

"It's understandable that he made that mistake!" Regina retorted. "He is five and you are the only father figure in his life right now that is taking care of him. If he says it again I will talk to him."

"Why don't you talk to him now?"

"Because this is not a good time! He probably didn't even notice saying it himself. I can only tell him right after he said it, if not it won't make sense to him. It's best for Henry this way!"

Daniel huffed. "Oh _now_ you care about what is best for Henry?"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean!" Regina now almost yelled, anger boiling inside of her.

"It means that you let me take care of your children while you go out doing I don't know what with Emma and _Neal_. Who you are suddenly so incredibly close with."

"That is because I can talk to him about Neverland." Regina said angrily. "He is the only one who has been there and since I remember everything now, it helps to process things when I talk to him about it."

"Yeah right I'm sure that's the only reason you like to spend so much time with your ex-boyfriend."

At this Regina's mouth fell open, and her eyes almost seemed to pop out before a laugh of disbelief left her lips. "O my god, you are _jealous_." She breathed.

"Don't be ridiculous." Daniel denied the accusation.

"No…no .." Regina said her finger now pointing at him as she now walked around the couch to face Daniel. "I am right, you are jealous of Neal!"

"Regina please, this is not about any of that." Daniel said, but Regina could see in his eyes that she was exactly right.

"Yes it is exactly about that." She said as she narrowed her eyes and set a step in his direction. "You are jealous of Neal, because I spend so much time with him, as you say. You're jealous of the fact that I am so close to him, that Neal got to hug me, got to hold me…" She saw that she was pushing Daniel's buttons with her words, and because of her anger she didn't feel herself able to stop. "…that he got to _kiss _me…that he got to – "

She was silenced as Daniel suddenly lung forward and crashed their lips together in a bruising kiss. At first Regina was too shocked to do anything but as she felt his tongue touch her lips she parted her lips automatically and let him deepen the kiss. A moan left her throat as she felt him explore her mouth as his left arm snaked around her back and his right arm moved up to her hair and he pressed her against him.

He started moving them, forcing her to step backwards until her legs met the couch. Willingly she lowered herself down on the couch, letting Daniel climb on the couch as well, his arms on either side of her head as they shortly parted for air before their lips met again. She lovingly combed her fingers through his hair at which he kissed her with even more passion than he already did. He then moved to kiss a trail of kisses from her jaw line to her shoulder. She gasped at the feeling of his lips to her skin and stretched her neck to give him better access. "God, Regina…" Daniel breathed in between kisses. "Your skin is so soft."

At his words fear took over Regina's mind as she tensed underneath Daniel. With a mild panicked scream she pushed him off her and backed away as far in the corner of the couch as she could.

Daniel immediately stopped and set up at Regina's behaviour, his blue eyes filled with worry. "What is it Regina – Did I hurt you? – I – I am sorry, I thought you wanted this after you let me kiss you and – "

Regina shook her head, her eyes fixed at her hands that were resting in her lap. "I – It's not your fault." She said in an unsteady voice. "I did…want it…it's just….what you said it – it made me remember…_him_…" As she choked out the last word tears took over and fell down her cheeks at a rapid rate.

Daniel pursed his lips as he felt anger rise inside of him. "You're safe now Regina. He can't hurt you anymore, Emma has locked him up." Daniel said in an attempt to comfort Regina.

The brunette now looked up with confusion in her eyes. "Wh – Who?"

"Hook." Daniel explained. "He won't be able to put his hands on you again."

At this Regina shook her head and laughed sarcastically through her tears. "Oh it's not Hook I'm upset about, dear. If that had been all there wouldn't have been a problem."

Daniel's eyes widened. "Then who – "

"Leo…" Was Regina's whispered reply. "He – I – It was – " She couldn't find the words to explain how things had been in their marriage, if you could even call what they had had a marriage. "He – " She tried again. "– always _took_ what he said was _his_, so to say…and he always said that…what you said and it took me back to that time and I just – I'm sorry." And more tears fell, preventing her from speaking.

"Come here…" Was Daniel's soft reply as his heart was breaking at the sight of the crying woman in front of him. He moved over to Regina and gently pulled her towards him so he could wrap his arms around her. She immediately buried her head in his shirt as she cried. "I am sorry." She repeated. "It isn't your fault and – "

"Ssssh, it's okay. It's probably for the best anyways, considering the fact that our daughter is here in this room and our son only one room away. We wouldn't want to scar them this early in their lives already."

At this a short laugh escaped Regina's lips and her tears fell less often as she had her head rested on Daniel's chest while he softly stroked her hair. They said like that for a while, the only sound in the room coming from Estelle who was softly gurgling to herself.

"Daniel…" Regina then broke the silence. "…this can't go on like this."

"I know…" Was his reply. "What do you want to do?"

The brunette in his arms shrugged. "I – I want to be with you, but at the same time I don't want to be with you."

"And why is that?" Daniel asked softly, not at all insulted by her words, she was simply putting into words what she felt.

"Because I am afraid to get hurt again, and there are so many things I have to think about." Regina replied in a sad voice. "There is Henry….I cannot give him another father and then have that been taken from him in the case that things wouldn't work out between us. And – With Leo…he was so nice at the beginning and everything seemed so beautiful, like a dream. But then everything went wrong and changed and it was so horrible. I don't want that again. It – I – I am afraid to _love_ again." She admitted all the while Daniel hadn't stopped softly stroking her hair as his other hand rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"I can understand that, Regina. And I promise you I will never hurt you on purpose in anyway. Yet my promise alone cannot restore your trust. You have two options, you can put your walls up and close yourself off from any kind of affection for the rest of your life and be miserably unhappy alone. Or you can _try_ to love again, or maybe to be _in_ love with someone again, just take things one step at the time…slowly…and maybe it will turn out better this time. And I am not just saying this because I really hope you will be able to be together with me…"

Regina smiled at his last words, before her face grew serious again and she let out a deep sigh. "You will have to be patient with me, Daniel. It might take a while before I will be able to…_give_ myself to you…that one night…I was so drunk I had forgotten about all my fears and insecurities…but when I'm not drunk, all of these fears are real and they are in my head. And I'm slowly recovering from them, but it takes time. I – I want to be with you, but we will have to take it slowly. And I don't want anyone else to know yet…not even my mother. She is meddling herself much too much in my love life already."

Daniel nodded. "I understand that Regina, and I respect that. And you must know that you are much more to me than just a woman I would like to sleep with."

Regina chuckled. "Well it's good to know that dear."

"No, don't make a joke about this, Regina." Daniel said firmly as he now cupped her chin so she had to look up to him. "I am serious. You are a beautiful, kind, creative, intelligent woman that has so much to offer to the world. Your only flaw is that you don't seem to realise it yourself, so I make it right here, in this moment my mission to make you see how great you are."

Regina's eyes watered at Daniel's words. "Kiss me." She said in an unsteady voice.

"Are you sure?" He asked obviously worried after what had just happened, but she nodded. "Yes. A kiss from you I can handle." She smiled. And she let out a content sigh as his lips met hers once more.

Maybe Daniel was right, maybe he could be the one to teach her how to love again.

**WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT! I couldn't get this chapter out of my head so I decided to write it right away. Reviews are very welcome :D!**

**X**

**Metope**


	23. Chapter 22

**XXII**

She couldn't wipe the smile off her face, as hard as she tried, she simply couldn't, for all of this made her just so happy, this was who she was, this was her element. The big stage with the piano on the right, the music standards, the light, everything just filled her with so much happiness. She hadn't officially started to work yet, she would start next week, she was only here now to get familiar with the place and to get to know the instruments.

She walked up to the piano and took place on the piano stool. She could either just do her job and hear note for note whether the piano needed to be tuned or not, or she could just enjoy this moment alone for a little while and find this out by playing a little music. Her fingers softly brushed over the black and white piano keys. It was a beautiful instrument to only see already, and when she softly pressed the central C key, the sound and the acoustic of the hall proved that also its sound was beautiful.

After hearing that first note she simply couldn't hold herself back anymore and as her other hand now too found the keys she started to play; Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. She loved the piece, it was the first piece she had taught herself to play after she had heard it once at a friend's house whose father was listening to the radio. She had only needed to hear it once to memorize it so she could teach it to herself when she would sneak into the auditorium at high school where they had a piano she could practice on.

It was not the happiest music, but she loved it anyways, especially because of the dramatic feeling the music gave her. She closed her eyes as she continued to play and the music became heavier so to say. She felt the music run through her veins, it was odd, but that's truly what she felt. It felt as a soft tickling that started in her stomach and then ran through her body until it reached her fingers and toes, making her head feel light, actually making her entire body feeling light, as if she were floating.

Then suddenly she was rudely interrupted from her little trance as she heard a voice speaking to her, it startled her. She had been so focused on the music that she had completely forgotten of everything else around her. The voice sounded shocked, maybe panicked even and she turned her head abruptly to look who had spoken to her, shoving the stool backwards in the process so violently that she almost tumbled backwards.

"Regina, can you hear me? What's happening to you?" The voice sounded again, it was Snow. She looked with confusion in her eyes at the teacher. She then followed the teacher's gaze, that seemed to be fixed on her and when she moved her hands up in front of her eyes she yelped as she saw how a blue glow was covering them. With another panicked whimper she uncoordinatedly moved her hands away out of her sight, causing blue sparks to emanate from her finger tops. Snow too shrieked at the sparks and then looked back over to Regina who was staring at how the sparks disappeared into nothing when they hit the ground, her face showing absolute terror.

"Wh – What's happening to me." She asked in a scared voice, her breathing quick and uneven.

"I – I don't know Regina, I will call Cora, she will know." Snow said, however before she could even get her cell phone out of her pocket, no one but Rumpelstiltskin suddenly appeared in front of the two women in the auditorium, a vicious grin on his face as his eyes met those of Regina.

"Finally." He grinneded. "Finally your magic has made itself known. _Now_ it's time for that favour you owe me dearie. And before Regina could back away from him he grabbed her arm and in front of Snow's eyes the two adults disappeared in a puff of the imp's signature red smoke.

"Oh, god, oh god oh god oh god." Snow panicked. "I have got to get Cora….and Emma…and David and Neal…. This is not good, this is anything but good!"

**Call me evil; I agree with you; I am :P. I apologize for the short chapter but this seemed the best place to cut it off and end with a nice cliffhanger O : ). Review, review, review :P!**

**X**

**Metope**


	24. Chapter 23

**XXIII**

* * *

"Daniel, I'm hungry, can we eat already?" Henry asked in a begging voice as he walked over to Daniel who was reading on the couch.

"Your mother can be home any minute now Henry, and then we will have dinner, alright?" He said patiently and he smiled when the boy pouted and then climbed on the couch to sit next to him.

"But my stomach is making rumblings…I'm reeeeallly hungry." He whined.

"Oh is that so? Maybe I should take a look at that stomach of yours then." Daniel said a smile on his face and before Henry could react his hands had found the stomach of the little boy and started tickling it.

"Noooo, stop it Daniel!" The boy laughed but Daniel didn't listen. "Daddy!" He squealed.

"Yes, Henry what is it?" Daniel asked innocently.

"Please stop, I will wait for mommy to come home!" He laughed.

"Alright, alright, I will stop then." The man laughed and he helped Henry to sit up straight on the couch again. He saw how the boy's eyes now landed on Estelle who was lying in her box playing with the toys hanging above her.

"Did I do that too when I was a baby?" He asked pointing at his sister's baby hand that was repeatedly softly pushing one of the toys above her the moment it swung back to her. Every time she hit it a soft tinkling would sound at which a giggle seemed to escape the baby's mouth.

"Well, I didn't know you when you were a baby, Henry." Daniel started. "But I am sure you must have done it too."

"But it's boring." The boy said confused.

"Babies simply like things that move or make noises."

"Just that?"

"Just that." Daniel confirmed, and then he looked on his watch again. They couldn't really wait much longer for Regina, she was supposed to be home thirty minutes ago already, he was slightly getting worried.

"Let me call your mother, to see where she is." He said to Henry as he got up from the couch. However, Regina didn't pick up her phone, not the first time, not the second and also not the third time he tried. It was nothing like Regina to not pick up her phone, with two little children she made sure she picked up her phone at all times. Maybe she was at her parents' house he then thought, and so he tried their number.

"_Regina is that you?"_ A panicked voice sounded as soon as the phone was picked up.

"Cora, no, it's me Daniel. What's wrong? I was calling to see if Regina was with you."

He heard Cora sigh on the other end of the line. "Snow arrived here this afternoon telling us that Gold has taken Regina with him."

"What? Why? How?" Daniel asked in one breath.

"_We don't know. Emma, Snow, David and Neal are all here now and we're trying to decide what is the best way to approach this, regarding her safety."_

Daniel frowned at this. "And may I ask why _I_ am told nothing of this entire situation?"

"_Well..Daniel, I think Snow simply forgot.."_ Cora answered in an apologizing tone but Daniel wasn't satisfied by her reply.

"Because it makes perfect sense to _forget_ to tell the man she is living with and is watching her children as we speak, that she is practically kidnapped by the most powerful man in town. I can't believe this." He said in an angry voice. "I'm coming over."

"_Daniel – This is not the time to deal with issues of pride." Cora said in a clipped tone. "It's best if you stay there, you can't take the children to this chaos and they can't stay at home alone. I will call you as soon as we know more, alright?"_

He let out a frustrated sigh as he realised Cora was right. "Fine." He then said reluctantly and then hung up the phone.

But he hadn't really turned away from the phone yet as it rang again, he immediately recognized the number of Regina's cell phone. "Regina, is that you?" He said alarmed, picking up the phone.

"_Daniel…"_ A small voice sounded on the other side of the line, if he didn't know better he would almost have doubted whether it was even Regina. She sounded as if she had been crying, or maybe still was.

"Yes, Regina it's me. Where are you?"

"_I – I don't, I don't know it here. I am in the woods, and…"_ He heard how she now broke down into sobs. _"Please come find me Daniel, please!"_ She cried and it broke his heart to hear her this scared and distraught.

"Okay, Regina, listen to me. I'm going to see if the neighbours can look after Henry and Estelle, and then I'll immediately head to woods. I will call you as soon as I leave so you can help me find you by telling me what you are seeing, okay? - Regina, are you still there? Can you hear me?"

It was silent just a little longer before she spoke again. _"Yes,"_ her crying voice sounded. _"Yes, I will stay here….but please come fast, Daniel."_

"I will." He promised and he then hang up the phone rushing over to the hall to get Henry's coat and then into Regina's bedroom to get things for Estelle, all the while ordering Henry to put on his shoes. Regina needed him, and he wasn't going to let her wait any longer than strictly necessary.

* * *

**Moments before**

When she felt solid ground under her feet she managed to stay on her feet for only a few seconds before she fell to the ground. Her head was spinning and her vision blurred.

"You'll get used to that." She heard the voice of Gold. "After teleporting a couple of times you won't be so dizzy anymore. Now, let's get you up."

She felt how his arms moved under hers to help lifting her up. She leaned her back against him as she wasn't really able to do anything else, still too dizzy. But after a while her vision cleared and her legs didn't feel like jelly anymore.

"There you go." The voice of the pawn broker sounded as he now moved away from her and walked around her so he would face the brunette. They were standing in the woods, she had no idea where they were and she didn't like that one bit.

"Where did you take me. You had _no_ right to do what you just did" She hissed.

"Oh, feisty aren't we?" He grinned. "Well that is good, after all, magic is emotion, so the more you feel the easier this will be."

She shook her head in confusion. "What are you talking about? Why did you bring me here?"

He held his hands up as to calm her. "All in time, dearie. All in time. I brought you here for the second part of our deal, the part where _you_ do something for _me_."

"Great." Regina snapped. "What is it you want then?"

A strange giggle left the man's lips at her question. "Well, dearie, the thing is. You just activated your magic…and now it's finally here I want you to let me teach you magic."

Regina was truly taken aback by this answer, why on earth would the man want to teach her magic? Wouldn't that only give her an advantage? How was that a favour to him? As if the man knew what she was thinking he continued.

"You must be thinking, what on earth is in it for me when I teach you magic? Well, dearie, the thing is…let's just say I am investing in your future as well as mine. I will teach you magic, the way _I_ want you to learn it, in the way _I_ want you to use it and only if you let me do _that_ you will fulfil your end of the deal to me. Understood?"

"But –" The brunette started. "I don't _want_ to learn magic. It only causes bad things to happen, I don't want that!"

At this the up until then smiling man turned into the vicious imp she had known all those years ago as he suddenly brought his face close to hers, grabbing her arms strongly with his hands. "Well that's a shame dearie, because you don't really have anything to say in this, now do you. You made a deal with me to safe your son, and this is the price you have to pay for that. _Do_ you understand?"

She swallowed visibly, fear taking over her body as she looked into his green eyes that seemed to be soulless in that moment. "Neal will never forgive you for this." She finally spoke, her voice hoarse and not as steady as she had wanted it to be.

The man grinned. "You're smart dearie, just like your mother." He now let go of her and set a few steps back. "I have thought of that of course. And part of the deal is that you can tell no one of the content of this favour you owe me. You can't tell anyone or make anyone know about this in any other way."

"Then what am I supposed to say when I get back? Snow saw you taking me, she has probably already told my parents about what happened, they will want an explanation."

The imp shrugged. "Tell them whatever you want, as long as it won't turn Neal against me everything is fine."

"Now, let's get started." The imp continued when Regina slowly nodded. "Show me what you got."

The brunette's eyes widened. "What, now?"

"Is there something wrong with your ears, dearie? YES now!" The man yelled at her, causing Regina to set a step back in fear.

"But, it's almost time for dinner and…people will come looking for me…."

"They don't know where we are, now do they? Besides, they won't just start looking for you, no…knowing the Charmings they will convince your parents to think of a _plan_ first, to secure your safety and all that nonsense; so we'll have some time. Now, come on, hit me with your best shot."

"My best shot of _what_?" Regina asked not knowing what the man meant.

Gold sighed impatiently. "A fire ball, a ball of energy, _anything_ you feel you want to throw at me for being so mean to you. Magic is emotion dearie, and I want to see what you got. I have to admit, not ever have I seen the light blue kind of magic you can produce, it…intrigues me , I must say."

"So I do what now?" Regina asked in confusion. "Lift my hand and _will_ something to come out of there?"

"Pretty much yes."The man giggled.

Regina arched an eyebrow and then lifted her hands like she had suggested. "Okay…"She sighed, "Here goes nothing…" And indeed nothing happened.

"You have to _feel_ it, dearie. Let the emotions rule your entire being. Try to find as much anger towards me as you can."

"Oh believe me, of anger towards _you_ there is no shortage." Regina replied sarcastically.

The imp giggled again. "Oh I'm so scared." He said waving his hands theatrically as if he was trembling. "Now show me."

Regina looked at him, her dark eyes flaring with anger as she took in his appearance. Under the designer suit there seemed to be a child, really. A little kid that was waiting eagerly for the witch to attack so he could see something being destroyed. The type of kid that wouldn't stop bouncing on the glass of the cage of an animal until it would do something at the zoo. A kid that would sing those annoying teasingly songs to the other kids when he would have something the others didn't. Yes…if she would have to assign a type of music to this man it would be the type of songs bullies would sing to the other kids. _'I got ice cream, and you did no-ot', 'I was faster than you-ou', 'I am older than you-ou' _The melody of those songs started to play in her head, multiplying itself, filling her thoughts, filling her entire body and just as when she had been playing the piano she felt this weird sensation course through her body, from her toes to her abdomen through her heart, her head….to her hands, and as it reached her hands a blue light bolted out of her hands towards the man.

The pawnbroker let out a delighted laugh at the sight before he quickly produced a shield to protect himself. It caused the beam of energy to bounce back towards Regina, hitting her right in the stomach and making her fly at least a couple of meters through the air before she landed hard on her back, knocking all the air out of her lungs.

"That was a good first try, dearie." Gold called from the place he hadn't moved from. "I suggest you protect yourself with a shield next time. I expect you to be back here at eight sharp next week." And with that he disappeared, leaving her all by herself.

Slowly she pushed herself up in a sitting position. She felt blood trickling down her chin and when she moved her hand up to wipe it away she discovered it was coming from a cut on her chin. Her left arm had a few cuts too and her body felt so sore that she was very sure she would have some nasty bruises appearing in the next couple of hours. When she tried to stand she felt her legs simply didn't feel like moving just yet. And it was then that the first sob escaped her lips, quickly followed by more tears as she realized that she was all by herself, injured, in a place of the woods she didn't know, while no one knew where she was.

Through her cries she almost didn't hear the beep her phone would make to indicate she had missed a call, however she did feel the phone vibrate in her pocket and quickly got it out. Six missed messages. One from Snow, two from her mother and three from Daniel. Daniel…She could call Daniel, it was him she wanted to see the most right now. She needed him. If her parents would see her like this they would only become extremely worried about her, she didn't want to do that to them. And so she dialled Daniel's number with trembling fingers, hoping he would pick up the phone.

* * *

**59 years ago**

"I want you to tell me one last vision of the future before I leave!" He yelled at the red haired woman who was now lying on the ground. "Give me one last hint as to what will come on my path to find my son. NOW!"

The woman whimpered in pain and fear in response but eventually did as the Dark One had told her and lifted her hands up in the air, facing the sun. The blue orbs in the palms of her hand blinked against the sharp sunlight and then finally started to show her the path that was paved for the man in front of her.

"There will be a girl – " She started. "A girl who will bring you to the land you need to be to find your son..."

"Excellent. Where will I find her?" The imp triumphed but the witch shook her head. "That I cannot see, but it will become clear to you in your visions in time..."

At this the Dark One growled unsatisfied. "What else do you see?"

"You – you will be powerful, you will be feared...you will find your son – " She paused for a while, as breathing became harder and harder.

"Continue, continue..." The imp grinned, however his smile faltered a little when he saw how the red haired woman in front of him seemed to crumple as if she were in an even greater pain all of the sudden.

"Beware, Rumpelstiltskin!" Her voice then sounded much stronger and more powerful. "For this same girl that will lead you to your son, will be the most powerful of all once she has become a woman. A woman with dark eyes and dark raven black hair... a woman who will be chosen by the blue light as its guardian. The blue light of music that will only let itself be controlled by those...those with the purest heart, the purest intentions and the purest _soul_ of all. And this woman...she will be your undoing, Rumpelstiltskin..." After these words the woman fell to the ground and lied there motionless, the Dark One assumed her to be dead now.

He thought about her last words...a blue light of music? If he wasn't mistaken that sounded an awful lot like one of the old folk tales townspeople used to tell each other on rainy nights in the tavern.

There were nine lights, red, orange, yellow, blue, green, violet, pink, black and white, all were linked to one of the nine muses. They were believed to be powerful sorceresses who were the only ones able to control the lights and their powers. Each muse had access to only one light, it was the light who chose, and once the muse would die, the light would simply move on to next person it chose to be suited for the job. Each light held its own quality, there was a muse of tragedy, a muse of dance, a muse of philosophy, a muse of astronomy, a muse of music... however he didn't know what colour was linked to what quality, hence he had no idea what the blue light's powers were. If it was true what the woman had just told him, and this girl that would bring him to Bae would also be his undoing in the form of the muse of the blue light...then for the first time in a while the Dark One didn't know what to do...He needed more visions to know how this girl would bring him to his son, maybe he would be able to get rid of her, _kill_ her if necessary after she had done her job.

_**A couple of weeks after Regina's arrival to Storybrooke**_

Gold was pacing up and down the limited space of his pawnshop. He was conflicted, the moment he had met her he had known, he had _felt_ it, this was _her_. He would recognize those big brown eyes everywhere, and the scar on her upper lip was all the more proof that this was indeed Regina, daughter of Cora, mayor of Storybrooke.

The moment he had realised this he remembered the prophesy of the red haired oracle of all those years ago. _"She will be your undoing, Rumpelstiltskin"_ The witch had choked out.

At the time he had decided to just kill the girl after she had brought him to Bae – _Neal_. However things hadn't gone as he had expected, the girl had gone missing for years. And now, now she was back, she turned out to be friends with his son, _good_ friends, for crying out loud. And for Neal, he was trying to be good, which meant killing Regina now was out of the question.

So what on earth was he supposed to do now then? He couldn't just let her live her life unharmed, now could he? The witch had told him she would be his undoing! Surely Neal would understand he had to do something against her to prevent that?

_"But to kill her, dad? Really?"_ He could already hear Neal yelling this at him, and he shook his head. No, killing really was no option. There had to be some other way and in his mind he started to go back over what the woman had told him word for word. _"A girl with raven black hair...the purest heart...the purest intentions...the purest __soul__..."_ and that was when a new evil plan started to create itself within the Dark One's mind. What if Regina wouldn't be the woman with the purest heart and soul anymore? Wouldn't the light leave her then, and wouldn't she then not fulfil the description of the prophesy anymore?

A triumphant grin appeared on the man's face at this thought. He couldn't believe how worked up he had let himself get over this mere nuisance of a woman. A bump in the road, that's what she was, nothing more, nothing less... After all, it had been so easy to attempt Cora to take the dark path, how hard could it be to make her daughter do the same thing then? Didn't they say something like "Like mother like daughter" in this land? or "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? it didn't really matter, it all came down to one and the same: If Regina was anything like her mother she wouldn't be giving him a hard time to darken her heart...The addictive nature of the dark arts alone should do the trick already...

* * *

**Present**

She took up her phone again after he had let it gone over just one time. _"Daniel."_ She sounded less panicked, she had probably had some time to get herself together while she had waited for him to call back.

"Yes, Regina. I'm standing at the edge of the woods right now, tell me what do you see around you, anything remarkable that might help me find out where you are?"

_"Uhhmmm..."_ her voice broke and along with it broke his heart a little more to hear her this lost. _"It seems like I'm in some sort of open place, there are trees around me in a circle...I can hear water flowing nearby, I guess I'm near a river. Does that help you in anyway?"_

He smiled when she started talking about the river. There was only one open place near the river. "Yes, Regina, that's very helpful indeed. I think I know where you are, I'm going there right now, okay? It might take me about ten minutes to get there, but I'll hold the line, is that okay?"

_"Yes, yes okay, that's good."_ And at that he started walking – almost running – towards the place he thought Regina would be. Now and then he would tell Regina where he now was, what he saw, figuring that hearing his voice would maybe calm her down a little, as it proved he was really coming for her.

However, after a couple of minutes there came no response from Regina anymore. "Regina...Regina are you still there? Is everything alright?" Still no response, and as he put the phone from his ear he saw why, his battery had died. "Shit." He cursed out loud and he started to run the last part towards the open place. He arrived there almost out of breath, but he didn't pay any attention to the pain in his lungs as he saw his Regina sitting in the tall grass, a tear stained face and a deep cut on her chin and more shallow cuts on her arms, at the places her dress had been torn.

He ran even faster towards her the moment he saw her and fell on his knees in front of her. She immediately threw herself at him, heart wrenching sobs shaking her small frame. "I thought you didn't come anymore." She cried and her hands became fists as she clung to him, grabbing his shirt as if she was determined to never let him go.

"Ssshhh...It's alright, I got you, you're safe now..." He tried to comfort her, rubbing soothing circles on her back with his one hand as his other hand softly stroked her hair.

After a while she seemed to calm down a little and she pulled away from him a little. "I've ruined your shirt." She sobbed and he couldn't help but laugh at her words.

"Well, don't worry about that now, it's not important. What _is_ important however is you. What happened?" He asked, worry shining in his eyes as he softly brushed the tears from her face.

She shook her head. "I can't tell you..."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I – he – The deal...he took me here for the favour I owe him, however part of the deal is that I do not tell anyone in any way about what this favour is exactly...so I can't tell you what happened. Please don't make me do it..." Tears again fell down her cheeks and it hurt him tremendously to see her like this. Once again he pulled her into him for a tight hug.

"I won't make you do anything, Regina. Not ever will I force you to do anything, I promise." He let her cry for a little longer and then started to help her up as she seemed to calm down again.

"Now, come, let's get you out of here. Everyone is worried sick about you, you know that?"

"I – I just want to go home." The brunette replied in a small voice as she heavily leaned into him, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"That's alright. I will just call your parents that you are alright and tell them to not come by tonight. If you can't handle seeing anyone tonight, that is perfectly fine."

At his words she looked up and he smiled softly at her when he saw in her eyes how grateful she was for his help. "Thank you..." She whispered.

"You're welcome." He smiled back at her, softly cupping her face, once again brushing some tears away with his thumbs. His eyes fell on her lips, he wanted to kiss her, to take away her pain, however he didn't want to scare her or take advantage of her in this state.

Regina saw him looking at her lips, and through all the pain and fear she was feeling she managed to smile at the man in front of her, just a little. "I would very much like you to kiss me, right now..." She said and a blush crept up her cheeks as she told him.

"Well, that's a request I'm all too happy to obey to." Daniel replied for softly pressing his lips to hers, his arms securing her still weak body. He tried to put all the love he felt for her in his kiss, hoping it would comfort her, and make her feel loved and cherished. Because he loved her, he cherished her, and in that moment he swore that from now on he would protect her from all evil the best he could. Whether it were a pirate or the Dark One, it didn't matter, they first had to step through him if they wished to get to the beautiful brunette in his arms.

* * *

**Soo...WHAT do you all think of this chapter? I'm very curious to know, so please leave a review ****!**

**x  
Metope**


	25. Chapter 24

**XIV**

* * *

That night Regina slept in Daniel's arms, for it was the only way she could sleep at all. When they had got home, the first thing Daniel had done was calling Cora to tell her that her daughter was safe at home. It had taken him quite some convincing to make sure Cora would not come over, but after explaining to her that Regina was exhausted, that she was physically practically fine and that it was best to just let her sleep for now and that he would call her tomorrow, she gave in. Henry and Estelle had stayed at the neighbours, it wasn't a good idea for them to see their mother in this state. So now the house was only occupied by the two adults.

When Daniel woke up a small smile appeared on his lips when he saw the sleeping form of Regina right in front of him. Her back was pressed against him as she was lying on his left arm and his right arm was draped over her small frame, as she was hugging his hand closely to her chest. The sound of her steady breathing told him she was still asleep, and even though his left arm was sore because of her weight, he didn't move an inch as not to accidentally wake her.

He didn't have to suffer for long, because not five minutes later the brunette started to stir, and with a deep sigh she rolled herself on her back, which caused her to move even closer to him, and turned her head to the right so she could look at him. Carefully he moved his left hand from under her back, as he let his right hand where it was, now draped over her flat belly – as if no baby had been born only six months ago. He saw in her eyes that she wanted to talk with him about what had happened, but she didn't know where to start, and so he just smiled at her and now moved his right arm to caress her cheek with his thumb.

"Did you sleep well?"

She nodded against his hand and a small smile graced her lips. "Yes...thanks to you." Her voice was hoarse because of the crying of the previous night and the fact she had just woken up. "Thank you.."

"You just said that."

"That was for letting me sleep peacefully. The second thank you was for saving me last night and making sure everyone would leave me alone."

"It wasn't easy to convince your mother to stay at home, you know." He teased.

She chuckled. "I can imagine." She moved her head so she could see the time on the alarm, it was 07:30. "I'm surprised she hasn't come to visit us yet, she is an early riser and I would imagine first thing she would do this morning is come over."

"Well...I told her I didn't think it to be a good idea if she would immediately came over, so I told her I would call her today, to let her know when would be the best time to stop by."

Regina let out a sigh of relieve at Daniel's words. "It's not that I don't want to see her..." She said at Daniel's arched eyebrow and amused smile. "But, she will be so worried, and I will have to explain what happened and I simply don't know how to, since I can't tell anyone the truth."

At this Daniel frowned and he propped himself up on his left elbow so his head was now above hers. "I already told you that I won't push you to tell anything of what has happened or what this deal is, but Regina, you do have to be honest with me about one thing. This favour, does it mean that you are in any kind of danger? Will it hurt you or be dangerous?"

She stared up in his bright blue eyes intently, and they, together with the frown that creased his eyebrows, told her that he was genuinely concerned for her safety. "I – I think this favour isn't really dangerous." She then said quietly. "I think I'm relatively safe."

"You _think_ you are _relatively_ safe?" Clearly Daniel wasn't reassured by her words, and the apologetic smile that appeared on the brunette's face didn't change that.

"Well, how safe can one be when it comes to Rumpelstiltskin, right?"

"Don't make jokes about this Regina, this is serious business." He sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face with his free hand.

"I know that...I will be careful, I promise." She spoke softly taking his hand in hers and bringing it to her mouth so she could place a soft kiss on it.

"Ok then." Was his reply and he moved closer to her so he could kiss her on the lips, he felt her body go rigid and he temporarily paused his movement to look at her. "Just a kiss, Regina, that's all." And when she gave him a small nod he continued his previous plan and softly pressed his lips on hers in a loving kiss.

"Well, let me go call that mother of yours then." He said when he broke the kiss and moved away from her to get up from the bed.

"Good luck dear, if it's necessary you can give the phone to me so I can reassure her – I think maybe it's even a better idea when I call her, I don't really feel like seeing her yet, but I do want to talk to her."

"Alright, I will go get the phone for you then." Daniel said as he left the room. Regina sighed, she felt a thousand emotions run through her body. Love for Daniel when he kissed her, fear of their relationship when she thought he was about to do something she wasn't ready for yet, love for her parents and the need to be held by her mother now she felt so scared of Rumpelstiltskin, yet at the same time a strong want to hide herself from Cora, for she knew she would have to explain things she couldn't speak about. As soon as Cora would see the cuts on her arms and chin she would freak out.

* * *

Cora was marching up and down her living room in front of the telephone that was just lying there, doing nothing, and exactly that was what was making her restless. She stopped when her eyes fell on her husband who was seemingly calmly sitting on the couch reading the newspaper.

"How can you sit there so calm like that, your daughter was kidnapped by that imp yesterday!" She snapped at him, and she got even angrier when he looked up from his newspaper with the utmost calmness. "Daniel said he would call as soon as possible, so until he has done that there is no use in getting all worked up."

"It's half past seven already and he hasn't called yet, that's reason to worry – Don't laugh at me!" She yelled when Henry hid a grin behind his hand at his wife's impatience. There was no need for him to reply however as then suddenly the phone rang and Cora quickly picked up the device as soon as she recognized Daniel's number.

"Daniel?"

"_No, mama, it's me."_ The voice of her daughter sounded, however her voice was hoarse and sounded small.

"Regina, o my dear, are you alright? What happened, what did he do to you, did he hurt you? Is Daniel there with you? Do you need me? Shall I come over to you? Oh what am I saying, I _am_ coming and – "

"_Mother! Calm down!" _Cora stopped talking immediately as she heard how Regina's voice had hardened and sounded a little panicked even, her daughter continued speaking when she heard Cora being silent. _"Mother, I – I don't want you to come over today, nor can I tell you what happened. Part of the deal is that I can't tell you anything, so I need you not to ask for it and to respect this."_

For a moment Cora did not know what to say at her daughter's words, however as she realised what her daughter was asking her she felt herself getting angry again. "Regina, " She started in a firm voice. "Don't be ridiculous. We need to get you out of that deal, he _kidnapped_ you, you were gone for almost an entire day, according to Snow you did magic again and we need to talk about that. I need to know what happened in order to protect you!"

"_Mother, I don't _need_ your protection in this. I can handle this myself. This favour means nothing it's not dangerous, I'm safe. I – I just need you not to worry...I promise, it's nothing radical that he asked of me."_

"Then why don't you want to see me, Regina?" Cora asked, her voice softer again. Henry was intently trying to follow the conversation and saw how Cora's eyes reflected a sentiment of rejection.

"_Because I can't handle seeing you right now mother! I – I have to get my mind clear first, and I can't use your constant meddling in my life in that! I just need some space okay? Daniel is here to take care of me as well if that is necessary, and – just leave me be alright?!" _

Henry saw how his wife's lips now formed a thin line, Regina had made her angry, this conversation was most certainly not going well.

"Well dear, " He heard her reply in a distant voice. "I wish you the best of luck with _clearing your mind_, and you just tell me when you've created enough _space_ then." And without waiting for a response she hang up. She glanced a look over to her husband who looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

"She doesn't need us. I need to 'leave her be' ." Cora growled. "Well, she can get what she wants, I'm going to the office now."

Henry sighed as he saw his wife leaving the living room. "Maybe _he_ should pay a visit to his daughter, talk to her. He was sure there was a reason for Regina's behaviour, and who better to get that secret out of her than her own daddy?"

* * *

**There is some hectic stuff going on here, so I wasn't able to update as quickly as usually do, but I hope you like this chapter anyways ****!**

**x**

**Metope**


	26. Chapter 25

**XXV**

* * *

"Hi there baby, what are you playing with?" Regina crouched down to sit next to her daughter who was sitting up straight all by herself – oh how proud Regina felt that her girl could do that already – and was playing with some toys.

The girl turned her head when she heard her mother speak to her, her blue eyes staring up into her mother's brown ones. "Daah.." She spoke to Regina holding up a pink plastic pony, that made a high sound if you would squeeze it.

"Oh I see, you're playing with your pony." Regina cooed, she chuckled when Estelle just repeated her previously spoken 'word'. Daniel had picked up Henry and Estelle at the neighbours earlier that morning, and had gone to get groceries with Henry afterwards. So now it was just she and Estelle who were left, and she loved it. With just the two of them she could close herself off of the rest of the world and she could just amaze herself over her beautiful smart little girl.

Estelle now turned away from Regina, seemingly searching for something. Her little chubby hand found a stuffed doll and she grabbed it in that uncoordinated way babies do, before turning back to face her mother again. "Abuuh!" She squealed, a big smile on her face as she held the doll in front of her mother.

"Your doll. Do you want me to play with your doll?" Regina smiled, and when Estelle waved the doll in front of her mother again Regina took the stuffed toy from her daughter's hand. "Thank you, baby." By way of response Estelle let herself fall to her right, so her head landed in Regina's lap.

"Oh!" Regina cooed with a surprised face. "Where you tired of sitting up, dear?" She softly stroked her daughter's dark short hairs to the side of her face as the infant gurgled to her mother as a way of answering.

"But how can I play with the doll now? Oh I know. This doll...is really fond of little Estelle, you see it can't be without you!" Regina held the doll up high above her daughter's face and then brought it slowly closer to her daughter's face, the few hairs of the doll hanging down so they would tickle the child's nose once she would be close enough. It was something they did often and so Estelle was laughing hysterically in anticipation already as she saw the doll coming closer to her face. Her hands were heaved up in the air trying to prevent the hairs from reaching her face. However just as Regina let the doll touch her daughter's nose the doorbell rang.

Estelle's face changed from a bright smile to a surprised one as the sound. She moved her hand to her ear "Gah!"

"That's the doorbell. Someone is visiting us, mommy is going to look who it is alright?" Regina spoke to her daughter as she got up from the floor with a sigh. She really hoped it would just be Daniel who had forgotten his keys, and not Cora. However when she opened the door it was neither of them, as she saw her father standing there. "Daddy..." She sighed. "I – I thought I had said I wanted to be alone." She frowned.

"Well, strictly told you only told your mother not to visit, you didn't say anything about me." Henry spoke as he stepped past Regina, letting himself inside. He was halfway met by Estelle who was fanatically crouching her way into the hall because Regina hadn't closed the door.

"Ah, look who we have here, my favourite granddaughter!" Henry laughed as he picked up his granddaughter who squealed in delight the moment she recognized who was picking her up.

"She's your only granddaughter." Regina said annoyed, not in the mood for such jokes.

"Oh, your mommy is a little grumpy do you hear that?" Henry continued speaking to the baby who now rested her head on his shoulder. "Let's sit down here so we can see what we can do about that."

"I was perfectly happy before you came." Regina snapped as she went to sit down in a chair opposite to the one her father had chosen. When Henry now took a good look at his daughter he frowned when he saw the cut on her chin and the several cuts that were visible from under her short sleeved shirt.

"Why don't you tell me what's the problem, dear?" He asked in a gentle voice. And as much as Regina tried to resist it a tear slipped down her face. She hated it when he used that tone of voice, she would fall for it immediately. When he spoke to her like that, looked at her like that, she felt so much love coming from her father that she simply was not able to keep any secrets from him.

"I can't tell you, please don't make me." She therefore spoke in a small voice.

Henry frowned at his daughter's statement as he put Estelle to the ground again so she could go play with her toys. "I stopped by at Neal's before I came here, and he said that his father had told him that the two of you merely had a talk and that you had given him some advice about how he could pursue this Miss French he is after. He apologized for the way things went, but he assured Neal nothing had happened, and Neal seemed to believe him. However, those cuts on your arms prove otherwise."

Regina's eyes widened at her father's words. "Uh – he – " She sighed, it was no use lying to her father and she felt anger boiling inside of her. Why was Rumpelstiltskin making all of this so hard? If she was honest to herself she knew the answer to that question. He knew how she liked to do things on her own and had guessed right that she would try to keep everything that had happened hidden, which gave him enough time to tell Neal a story that would not ruin his relationship with his son. And knowing how much Regina valued family relations, having been in the foster system for so long, the imp had guessed rightly that she would prevent everyone who _did_ know Gold was lying, from telling Neal, all so he wouldn't lose his father again. And the imp was right, that was exactly what she was going to do.

"Look, daddy. Part of the deal is that I cannot tell you what happened. However, I can tell you it was not what Neal believes it is, but you cannot tell anyone that! Neal is really trying to rebuild his relationship with his father, and this could ruin everything, I don't want that."

"But Regina, the man has hurt you! A man like that does not deserve a son like Neal!" Henry spoke but Regina shook her head at her father's words.

"To Neal Gold is good, daddy. He really tries to be better for Neal, which is why I'm not too worried about this deal either. These cuts on my arms where sort of my own fault, it wasn't really something Gold caused all by himself. So please, just let everyone believe this meant nothing, it's better for everyone." Regina pleaded.

"And why is it then that your mother cannot know of this? We both know she won't let herself be fooled by this story."

At this Regina averted her gaze as she looked down at her hands. "Because... she will continue to ask what this favour is and I cannot tell her. So she will go to Gold for the answer and – and I can't let her get hurt in any way, daddy! What if she will make a deal with him or something to help me? I can't let that happen!"

Henry couldn't help but smile at his daughter's explanation. Her heart was so big, she was always looking out for others, always placing others before herself. It wasn't always good of her to do so, but in this case he had to agree with her. Cora would stop at nothing to protect her daughter from the Dark One and so he nodded thoughtfully. "I understand your motives dear, however as good as they are, you did not approach this the right way. Your mother is very worried, and upset, it is who she is and she's your mother, she is allowed to be worried and protective. You really hurt her this morning, she felt rejected. You must know that, although she won't admit it, she still feels guilty about what happened to you, how we lost you. So she is still trying to make up for it, interpreting every conflict, fight or disagreement the two of you have as a rejection and proof that you haven't forgiven us yet."

Regina just stared at her father for awhile, her eyes wide with shock and her mouth a little agape as the words settled in her mind. "But I never meant to _hurt_ her!" She finally managed to choke out, as she was fighting back tears. "Nor do I held you responsible for anything that happened! I never did!"

"I know that, honey. But maybe you should go tell your mother that in person, for she isn't too sure. She is much like you, always doubting herself."

Regina abruptly got up from her seat. "I need to tell her, you are right. She's at the office I take it?" At her father's confirmation she then walked towards the hall to get her coat. "Daddy can you watch Estelle for a while? I think Daniel and Henry will be back within thirty minutes."

Henry looked on his watch and frowned. "I'm sorry dear, I have to be in at the office in fifteen minutes, I can't help you out this time."

His daughter sighed frustrated. "Well, I will just take her with me then, the weather is fairly nice today, so it will be good for her."

"Alright honey. Be careful okay? Calm down a little." Henry said as he got up from his chair and walked over to his daughter. "I will let myself out so you can get Estelle ready." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before crouching down to say goodbye to Estelle as well, and then left.

* * *

Cora sighed as she let herself lean back in her chair, she wasn't getting any work done today. Her thoughts constantly wondered of to her daughter and the phone conversation they had had this morning. Regina's voice had sounded cold and impatient, the same way she herself would sound when she didn't want the other person to know how she really felt. Regina was hiding things from her, meaning she didn't _trust_ her, and that thought hurt, it hurt a lot.

Cora was snapped out of her thoughts when the voice of her secretary sounded through the intercom. "Mayor Mills, it's your daughter here, she wants to see you, can I send her in?" As much as Cora wanted to see her daughter now she had finally come, she was a proud and stubborn woman too, and she hadn't liked the way Regina had spoken to her that morning. She would have to be punished a little. "No, Diane, I'm rather busy at the moment, you can tell Miss Mills to come back at another time, tell her I need my _space_ right now."

* * *

Diane looked up to the young woman who was sitting in the waiting room with her daughter on her lap, as she was waiting for Cora's answer. Regina looked quite nervous, her foot tapping on the ground, impatient to wait before she could walk in. The mayor had been tensed this morning as well, and Diane now suspected the two had had a fight or anything similar. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard Cora's cold voiced answer. "Of course, Miss Mills." She replied with a frown and then got up from behind her desk and walked over to Regina.

The woman was now reading from a baby book to her daughter and only noticed the secretary when the latter was standing right in front of her. "Oh, can I go in now?" Regina asked as she already started to put the book away.

"Well, uhm..." God this was awkward, Diane thought. "Mayor Mills told me to tell you that she was very busy at the moment and that you should come back another time, and that she needed her space...or something."

"Seriously?" Regina asked wide eyed and when the woman in front of her nodded she let out a frustrated sigh. "That stubborn woman..." She mumbled as her eyes flashed with. "Here, you hold Estelle for a second." She then said and she practically pushed the child against Diane who couldn't do much else then indeed hold the six month old infant as she stared with shock at how the brunette now marched towards the office of the mayor. Diane knew she should call Regina back, but maybe a confrontation between the two would cause Mayor Mills to be less angry and tensed today, and so she just sat down on the chair with the child on her lap. "Well, we will just let your mommy and granny talk things out for a while now shall we?" She spoke to the girl with a smile.

* * *

Cora was just putting some files away when she heard the door of her office open, as she turned around she saw her daughter standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes were dark with frustration and a hint of anger, her hair a little dishevelled and the older woman couldn't help but frown when she saw the cuts Regina had on her arms and chin. However she put her mask back in place just as quickly. "I thought I had let my secretary tell you that I was busy, don't you know what that mean–" Cora couldn't continue speaking as Regina had now walked towards her and had pulled her into a tight hug. As she was slightly taller than her mother, Cora's face was met with her daughter's shoulder and neck, muffling her words.

"I'm sorry, mama." Regina spoke softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you this morning, don't think that I pushed you away because I did not. I love you, and I don't blame you for what happened in the past, I never did. Honestly."

"Your father talked to you." Cora asked, however it was more a statement than a question.

"Yes, he told me how you felt guilty, and you shouldn't feel that mother, for there is nothing to be guilty about!" Regina replied as she pulled away from her mother a little so she could look at her.

"Then why didn't you want me to come over? What happened to you, Regina?" Cora asked, and Regina swore she saw tears glistening in the older woman's eyes as the latter brought her hand up, her thumb softly brushing over the cut on Regina's chin.

"Well the story we are going with is that Rumpel asked me for _love advice_ to woo Miss French, and that he wanted it to be a secret. That's what he told Neal and the others, apologizing for the rude way in which he took me with him." Regina said and she chuckled when Cora snorted.

"I knew you wouldn't fall for that." She laughed but then her face grew serious again. "But the thing is, mother, I simply cannot tell you what _did_ happen. Part of the deal is that I can't tell you, so we are all going with this story Gold told Neal, _yes _ we are." She spoke in a stern voice when Cora started shaking her head. "It will ruin the relationship between Neal and Gold if we tell otherwise, and I don't want to be responsible for that."

"Fine. I will just go to Rumpel myself then." Cora quipped.

"NO!" Regina now almost yelled as she stamped her foot to the ground in frustration. "You see, this is _exactly_ why I didn't want to tell you! I don't _want_ you to go to Gold, he is dangerous, you know that, you told me yourself. I was as foolish as to make a deal with him, so now it is up to me to fix it, not you, this is _my_ problem!"

"But Regina, I don't want you to get hurt, you're my daughter and – "

"And I am thirty three years old, I think I can tell for myself when I am in danger and when I am not." Regina snapped. "Really mother, please listen to me." Her voice changed to a soft pleading tone again. "If I really thought I was in danger I would tell you. I made the same agreement with Daniel, and he respects that, daddy does too, so why can't you?"

Cora looked at her daughter who now had tears falling down her face, her cheeks flushed with anger and frustration and her fists were clenched to the sides of her body. In that moment she looked exactly like her five year old self who was upset over something she thought was unfair, and Cora could do nothing but walk over to her daughter and wrap her arms around the younger woman in a loving embrace. "Alright, honey." She spoke gently to her daughter, stroking the back of her hair. "If you really believe you have got things under control, then I believe you."

"It really will all be fine, mother, you don't need to worry." Regina spoke and she just let herself be held by her mother for a while as she had wrapped her arms around the older woman. "I love you, mommy." She spoke eventually.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

The mother daughter moment was rudely interrupted when the panicked voice of Diane suddenly sounded through the intercom, accompanied by Estelle's crying in the background. "Miss Mills, I don't hope I am interrupting anything important, but could you please come and get your daughter? I don't know anything about babies and she is crying and she won't stop and I don't know what to do anymore."

Regina chuckled at the panicked voice of Diane as Cora quickly walked over to the intercom. "We're coming, Diane, don't worry." The older woman said, trying to hide her smile herself as she walked back to her daughter and wrapped one arm around the younger woman's waste as she led them to the door. "Come, let's put the girl out of her misery, shall we?"

* * *

**Here you go **** Cora and Regina talked things out. Next chapter will be stablequeen fluff B|!**

**x**

**Metope**


	27. Chapter 26

**XXVI**

* * *

Regina woke up from her nightmare with a start, the sheets pooling around her middle as she did. Ever since she and Daniel were in some sort of a relationship she had these nightmares about when she was still married to Leo. Up until now she had always just fallen asleep again after it, but since the recent events with Rumpelstiltskin she felt extra on edge. She would have another 'lesson' in four days and she was nervous about it already.

With a sigh she got up out of bed, maybe if she left her room for a second, – changed her surroundings – that would help. As she entered the living room she saw how the door of Daniel's bedroom was slightly ajar so that she could see his face that was being lit by the moonlight. She was startled when his eyes suddenly fluttered open and looked right at her.

"Why aren't you asleep?" She whispered when she saw him sit up in bed and she quickly made her way to his room and closed the door behind her so they wouldn't accidentally wake her children.

"I could ask you the same question." He retorted before he yawned and let himself fall back into his pillows a little again.

"I couldn't sleep...nightmare.." Regina mumbled as she leaned her back against the door.

Daniel saw how her eyes saddened a little and fear entered them as she probably thought back to her recent dream. "Would sleeping next to me make it better?" He therefore asked and when a small voiced 'maybe' left her lips he chuckled as he pulled the covers away and invited her to come lie next to him.

"God, your feet are cold." He hissed.

"Well warm them up then." Regina pouted as she moved her feet even closer to his legs as she snuggled up to him so close that he could easily wrap his arms around her.

"Better?" He asked.

"Much better." They lay like this for a while before Regina couldn't control her curiosity any longer. "Tell me, why were you awake in the dead of night?"

A deep sigh left him before he finally answered. "I was worried about you, about that deal, about Tuesday when you have to go see him again."

Regina said nothing to this for while before she spoke. "I didn't tell my parents that I have to meet him again, I didn't really know how to tell them and they were so upset about it already, I didn't want to make it any worse."

Daniel, knowing why she was telling this in particular, smirked. "You need an alibi then?"

She smiled. "I think I do, would you like to be mine?"

"I would be honoured." They both chuckled. "Is that what your nightmare was about?"

"Part of it was..." She said as she moved her head so that it fit in the crook of his neck, at which he pressed a kiss in her hair.

"What was the other part about?"

"About Leo..." She answered in a small voice and it broke his heart to hear her being reduced to a fragile small scared woman every time that man came up.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No...or maybe..yes...maybe it will help to get rid of them.." She spoke.

"Them? You've had more than one nightmare lately?"

She nodded. "They started a couple of weeks ago...around the same time that we decided to..uhm...be together as more than friends." She still didn't know what to call them, but this sounded about right.

"It's not because I think you are the same as Leo!" She quickly said when he didn't say a word at her confession. "But...I've thought about it and, I think...I think that it is because I don't really _know_ you, and everything is so great right now, and I am afraid that maybe it will all go wrong later, like it did with him."

"But, " Daniel started. "If you think I'm not the same as Leo, then why do you think it will go wrong?" He couldn't help but somewhere feel hurt that she thought he would be capable of doing the things Leo had done to her.

"Because things with Leo started exactly the same as this." Regina now spoke, frustration in her voice. "I thought he was nice to me, and he cared about me, and he made sure I felt safe, and happy and then it all changed after we got married, it was only then that I really got to know him. And if I look back to it now I can see how it had all been a facade, but back then I was too much in love to see that. So that makes me afraid that this could be like that as well, that I'm blind to something now as well because...because other than your name and what kind of work you do I don't really _know_ you Daniel. I don't know about your family, about what hobbies you have, what you like to do...we live together, yet when you think about it we could be total strangers just as well..." A sob escaped her lips after this. "I'm sorry..." She added to her previous words and it hurt him that she felt so conflicted, yet a part of his heart had swelled when she had basically told him she was in love with him.

He felt how warm tears now landed on his neck, he wanted to comfort her, yet in that moment he did not know what to say. He knew that Regina knew he was not like Leo, yet at the same time she was scared of a repetition of her previous relationship. He could understand that, she had been so young and naive and her life had suddenly taken such a dark turn. And on top of that, it had been her only adult relationship, meaning she had no other relationships to compare with, nothing to prove her wrong. It was up to him to do that.

She was right, it was a little unfair that he knew all about her past and family, yet he hadn't told her much about himself. Normally you would get to know each other on a date, but they had kind of skipped that stadium...or had they?

"Well..." He spoke. "How about, I take you on a date tomorrow evening, and we can have that typical date-talk in which you tell each other things about your life? Would that help?"

"You're asking me out on a date?" She asked surprised.

"I think I am, yes. I would love to take you on a date."

She giggled. "Well I would love to go with you on a date, so I think I will say yes to that."

"Well good, then it is a deal."

She smiled happily however then seemed to realise something and her face saddened again. "Oh but, no we can't, who will take care of Henry and Estelle? We can't ask my parents. Mother will immediately know we are together and start meddling into this."

"We could ask Emma? I am sure she will keep our secret."

"And where would we go? If we go to the diner everyone will still know." Regina said unconvinced.

"Just let me take care of that, would you? It will all be alright, I'll make sure we can have a proper date, yet will remain undiscovered by the rest of this nosy little town."

"If you say so..." Regina spoke, clearly still not sharing Daniel's optimism.

"I do. Now, we should try to get some sleep. I take it you want to be awake before a certain five year old wakes up and sees us together, so you should sleep while you still can."

"I'm not ti –" Her protest was interrupted by a yawn. "Okay, maybe I am tired after all." She giggled, and it didn't take her long to fall asleep in Daniel's arms.

* * *

Both adults had been more tired than they had expected, and so it happened that none of them woke up before their beloved five year old did. The boy's eyes widened when he opened the door to his mother's bedroom and saw no one there except for his sleeping sister.

Fear took over his little body until he remembered what Daniel had told him the last time his mother had not been there when he had woken up. Nothing had happened to her, she would not leave him, she was just somewhere else, and she would come back later. It was best to go to his dad now, so he could ask him where his mother was.

He started running towards Daniel's room, halfway slowing down again when he remembered mommy said not to run in the house, and it would probably wake Estelle up. So he calmly walked the rest of the way to Daniel's room, only to stop dead in his tracks when he opened the door and saw his mommy sleeping there while she was hugging Daniel.

He stared at them for awhile before he yawned, he still felt a little tired and when his eyes wondered over to the clock he saw that the first number was a five, while his mommy always told him that he could only come out of bed when the first number said at least a six. He hesitated for a moment, having trouble deciding if he would go back to his own bed or not. But when his eyes shifted to the big bed his mother was sleeping in, and he saw the empty space behind Daniel, he knew what to do: The bed was big enough for all three of them. Silently he walked around the bed and then climbed on it, crouching towards Daniel. When he was close he carefully climbed over Daniel's legs and then quietly let himself slide under the covers, smoothly making room for himself between his mom and dad, so he could lie down, being embraced by both of them.

He liked this, it was like a real family, he thought before his eyes fell closed again and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**oh the fluff! And next chapter will be THE DATE, so if you have any suggestions, anything you would like to see, tell me and I will try to work it in there ****!**

**x**

**Metope**


	28. Chapter 27

**XXVI**

**A/N; Just to make sure, this is a T rated story, however I would say it could be strong T+ for this particular chapter. But don't worry, I do NOT write smut, so anything that does happen won't be too graphical ;). Just a little warning. Now enjoy reading about 'the date'.**

"Well, have _fun_ tonight kids." Emma winked as Daniel opened the door for Regina as they were about to leave.

Regina's cheeks immediately coloured red when Emma stretched the word 'fun', and she whirled around narrowing her eyes. "You won't tell anyone about this will you? Especially not Miss Lucas, if she knows my parents will know as well before we are back."

"Regina, for the last time, my lips are sealed!" Emma laughed as she walked over to Regina and started to push her out the door. "Now go and have a nice time, that's all I was saying."

Daniel chuckled as he followed after Regina. "Thank you Emma."

"You're welcome!" And with that the blonde closed the door, only to get the crap scared out of her when a certain supposed-to-be-sleeping-five year old was standing right behind her staring up at her with a blank expression.

"Kid, you scared me!" She laughed awkwardly, at which Henry's 'exorcist-stare' as she thought it was named best, changed into a sweet apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry Emma."

"That's okay, what's wrong, you're supposed to be in bed." Emma smiled at the boy as she crouched down to his level as she had seen Regina do so often.

"Are my mommy and Daniel going to marry?" The boy asked without warning, causing Emma to be at a loss for words a second time.

"Uhmm – why, why do you think that, Henry?"

"Because we live in one house, and now they are going on a date–" He made a face when he said the word that still sounded foreign to him and of which he didn't exactly understand the entire meaning. "– and my mommy always did that with my daddy...and...well..." The boy paused and then gestured for Emma to come closer as if he were to tell her a secret. The blonde happily played along curious as hell to know what Henry was about to say next about her best friend's love life.

"Mommy said I couldn't tell anyone...that it was our family secret..." The boy started whispering. "But I think mommy thinks you are a little family too so you can know...Because when I woke up I couldn't find mommy and I went looking for Daniel and then I found mommy sleeping together with Daniel in Daniel's bed, just like my mommy and daddy always did. Only now Daniel was hugging my mommy, that was different, cause my daddy never did that." The boy concluded and when he looked at Emma he saw how her eyes had widened, and a huge grin was plastered on her face.

"Oh, Henry, that is quite something." She whisper-laughed. "And tell me, what did you do when you found your mother? And what did your mommy and Daniel do?"

"Well..." The boy answered, now speaking in a normal voice again. "I climbed onto the big bed and then went to sleep between them. And I woke up again when my mommy woke up too and she was really surprised and her face got red, that was funny." The boy giggled.

"Did she now, and why was that?" Emma asked, wondering whether certain activities had happened that had left her friend in a not so appropriate attire for her son to see.

The boy nodded. "Yes she was all red, I think because she was afraid that I would be upset."

Emma's lips formed an 'oh', not what she expected. "I see, and where you?"

The boy decisively shook his head. "No, I thought it was..." He was searching for the right word. "cute!" He then exclaimed, happy he had found the word he was searching for.

Emma laughed as she raised her hand to ruffle his hair. "I think you are right, little man. Now come on, let's get you back to bed."

The boy willingly turned around and started making his way to the stairs. "Will you be here when I wake up again?"

"No, I'm only here until your mother and Daniel get back." And when that will be will depend on how well their date will go, Emma thought with a smirk.

"You're taking me on a date in the stables?" Regina asked confused when she saw the stables nearing as Daniel slowed the car down.

"Not quite. You can get rid of that disappointed feeling, dear. Of course we're not having our date _in_ the stables. We just need what's in the stables to _get_ to our destination."

"I was not disappointed." Regina protested as her cheeks coloured red again.

"Yes you were, I could hear it in your voice, but it's alright." And he chuckled when Regina huffed and mumbled something incomprehensible before she got out the car.

"You just wait here, I'll be back in a couple of minutes." She nodded and leaned back against the car as she wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn't a very cold night, yet she was nervous and that made her feel cold. She looked up to the dark sky where stars were shining brightly as she thought back to this morning. She had been shocked to find her son sleeping soundly against her body in between her and Daniel. When he woke up he had sent her the most innocent and content smile she had seen on him in a while as he had whispered a soft '_Hi mommy_, _I couldn't find you_'.

He had seemed to be so okay with the entire situation that she hadn't instantly known what to say, he had giggled when she felt her cheeks redden. Not much later Daniel had woken up and when she looked over Henry's had to him she saw he had an equally shocked expression on his face as she had. He had quickly recovered and wished the boy a good morning at which Henry had turned around and hugged Daniel, asking if they could go out fishing that morning.

She had almost started crying there and then, she hated herself. Why did she have so many conflicted feelings inside her? She cared so much for Daniel, she wanted to be with him, he was the father of her daughter and by now he had become Henry's father too, they could be a family. Yet at the same she felt scared, afraid and wary. She could only hope this date would wash those feelings away when she would get to know Daniel better when it was just the two of them.

She got pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a sound coming her way, the sound of...horse hoofs? When she looked up she saw Daniel standing there with a beautiful large horse next to him. "A horse..." She was only able to state the obvious, as this was not what she had expected, even though they were at the stables.

"Have you ever been on a horse?" He asked, Daniel smiled softly when she shook her head and explained to him that horse riding had been out of the question at the foster home and that Leo had had a great dislike for animals. "Well, milady, "He then spoke. "this noble steed will be our ride for tonight, so I would like to invite you to approach the mighty animal so I can help you up there and we can proceed our journey."

She laughed at his odd choice of words as she walked towards him. "You'll sit behind me?" She asked, suddenly afraid that she would have to ride alone. But he sent her a dashing smile as he pressed a kiss to her head. "Of course, Regina. Don't be afraid, you're safe with me."

She smiled at him before she put her right foot in the stirrup. When Daniel put his hands at her waist her skin started to tingle under his touch, yet the feeling was quickly gone, replaced by a loud yelp as he suddenly lifted her up so she could get on the horse. She automatically swung her left leg over the giant animal and then just like that she sat on the noble animal.

"It's really high." She said wide eyed and she was glad when Daniel quickly got on the horse himself and settled behind her, sliding his arms under hers so he could hold the reins. She automatically leaned back against his chest a little and she revelled in the warmth and security his body gave her.

"Are you scared?" He asked softly.

"A little." She answered truthfully. "But I trust you."

"Good, then we can go." He smiled.

It felt wonderful. Behind the stables were large patches of grass before the woods would start again. The larger part of the way Daniel had let the horse ride slowly yet when he had noticed she felt more confident he had the horse go faster and faster, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world.

"It feels as if we are flying!" She laughed and her happiness made that Daniel too had the widest of smiles plastered on his face.

Daniel slowed down again when they reached the woods. "Where are we going?" Regina asked. "I don't like the woods too much in the dark."

Daniel chuckled. "Don't worry. I got this, remember? You don't have to do anything."

Regina smiled as she leaned back against Daniel again so that her head was resting on his left shoulder. "I like this date already." She said softly.

Daniel didn't reply, he just smiled happily. After a while he let the horse stop as the road they had been riding on until then became smaller. He easily jumped off the horse and then held his hand out for Regina to do the same. He didn't let go of her hand when she had reached the ground, nor did he when he tied the reigns of the horse to a nearby tree.

"Come." He said as he started to lead her up the small path. Regina stayed close to Daniel as they were both surrounded by darkness and she didn't want to think about what she would do if she would lose Daniel now. Suddenly her eye caught something glimmering in the distance, a small dot of light. As they continued walking more and more of those small dots appeared and a gasp left her mouth as they were finally close enough to see what was causing the light.

"Do you like it?" Daniel asked softly, his voice a little insecure all the sudden.

"Daniel...this is...the most..._romantic_, beautiful and sweetest thing anyone has ever done on a date for me." Regina breathed as she stared at how the rest of the path was being lit by a dozen of glass jars with a tealight in it. The path stopped where a small cottage was standing. A faint flickering light was coming from inside, probably from a fire burning in the fireplace.

"Come..." Daniel said softly as he took her hand again and walked with her to the cottage. Regina gasped again when she entered the cottage and saw a plaid spread out on the floor with several pillows carefully put down so that they were forming a makeshift lounging chair. In the centre of the plaid two candles were burning, shining their lights on two wineglasses and a bottle as well as a dinner that already looked so good it could only taste deliciously as well."

"When did you find the time to do all this!?"

"When you were shopping with Emma earlier today before we came back to leave as part of the make-Cora-believe-you-have-a-friends-sleep-over-da te-_plan_, I arranged all this." Daniel laughed. "You like it?"

"Oh Daniel I love it!" Regina said, her voice unsteady with emotion as she turned around and pulled Daniel in for a short yet loving kiss. "The place and the entire woods could have burned down though, you've left a dozen tealights, two candles and a fireplace burning without supervision of any sort." She scolded him when she broke the kiss.

He chuckled. He loved that she was always concerned for other's safety. "It won't happen again. Now let's eat, shall we?"

She smiled at him and since he could not pull out a chair for her he helped her to sit gracefully down on the pillows instead.

"So..." He started when both their plates and wineglasses were filled. "The point of all of this was so we would get to know each other better, so tell me, what do you want to know?"

Regina shrugged. "I don't know, just, who you are...about your family. Tell me about your family."

"Well, I grew up not far from your parents estate, actually. Both my parents worked for your parents, my father was the stableman, and my mother was one of your mother's maids."

"What was your mother's name?" The brunette asked. "Maybe I remember her." She explained.

"My mother's name was Marie." Daniel spoke and he looked surprised how Regina's entire face lit up.

"O but then I've known your mother!" She beamed. "She would secretly teach me things about cooking in the kitchen. I wasn't allowed to go to the kitchen from mother, she didn't think a lady should be in the kitchen. But I was stubborn. I remember wanting to bake a cake for mother's birthday, your mother was teaching me how, so I could do it by myself." Regina stopped when she saw how Daniel's eyes had watered a little. "Dear, are you okay?" She asked worried reaching out with her hand to brush a fallen tear from his cheek.

"Yes, yes I'm fine." Daniel quickly spoke as he placed his hand on top of hers. "It's just...It makes me so happy to know my mother has known you and that you can still remember her. To hear how she helped you in the kitchen, defying orders from Cora with that, it means she liked you a lot. And it feels good to know that she..."

"...she would approve of your choice now." Regina finished understandingly, and she smiled when Daniel nodded.

The rest of the night went great, they told each other whatever the other wanted to know about their lives and when they had finished their dinner, Daniel had put the plates and candles away so they could sit closer to each other now with only a glass of wine. By now Regina had her head leaning on Daniel's shoulder as they just stared at the fire.

"Henry scared the hell out of me this morning." Daniel then spoke. Regina chuckled. "Same here. Yet he seemed to find it not other than normal that I was there. He only said he couldn't find me."

Daniel nodded. "He is such a sweet boy. We had nothing to worry about, he is okay with it all."

"I haven't told him yet that Cora and Henry are in fact his grandparents. He really needs to know." Regina then said frowning. "The thing is that I don't really know how to explain this to him."

Daniel softly wrapped an arm around Regina and pressed her closer to him in reassurance. "It's a good boy, Regina, you raised him well. He's clever, social and he cares about others, it will be fine. He will understand. Sometimes I find it amazing that a boy so sweet and gentle can have a father that after what it sounds like was so brutal and rude."

"Hm, what do you mean?" Regina asked, not entirely there with her mind as she revelled in the feeling of Daniel's arm around her.

"I mean that Leo is Henry's father, it's hard to believe." Daniel explained and those words woke Regina up.

"Oh, no, Leo isn't Henry's father..." She said quickly as she moved away from Daniel a bit. At the frown that appeared on his face she quickly continued. "I mean, Leo isn't Henry's father because, uhm, we don't know who Henry's father is because I used a sperm donor to get pregnant, didn't I tell you that?"

At the stunned look on Daniel's face she clearly hadn't. "Look." She started again, putting her hand softly on the hand that Daniel was leaning on, her fingers softly curling around his. "I never wanted children before I had Henry, it was Leo who wanted a family. Not because he _wanted_ one, but because it would look good on him." Venom was audible in her voice as she spoke about the way that Leo saw things. "However, after four years of marriage I still wasn't pregnant, he accused me of being the reason but I got tested and the problem was with him. He refused to believe that, it was easier to continue blaming me, and that's what he did. He – He got more and more aggressive, and angrier with me, so eventually I decided to find a sperm donor behind his back and get pregnant. Leo has never known Henry was not his, nor does Henry no, obviously, that Leo is not his real father."

It was silent for a while before Daniel spoke again. "I see...Did – did you know who was the sperm donor?"

Regina shook her head. "I could find out, I need to call a number and they will contact the donor and ask if he is alright with it that his identity is made known. But I didn't dare doing that, afraid that Leo would find out somehow. I could do it now though."

"Only if you want to."

Regina smiled at Daniel, as she saw the concern in his eyes, he was always set on making sure that she or Henry or Estelle wouldn't get hurt. And in that moment all the doubt that Regina still had about Daniel vanished. Daniel was not like Leo, it almost seemed silly to her now that she had ever thought anything of the sort.

She moved forward on her knees and hands so she could bring her face close to Daniel's. "I love you." She whispered before she pressed her lips against his. She felt Daniel's hand cup her face in response as he kissed her back. Slowly she brushed her tongue over his lower lip before he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. A soft moan escaped from her throat when she tasted the remainders of the strawberry he had just eaten. He kissed her more forcefully when he heard her moan pulling her more into him and she willing moved along. She let her hands run through his hair then down to his chest as she kissed the crook of her neck. However he moved away from her the moment her slender fingers had found the hem of his shirt.

"Regina, what are you doing?" He asked cautiously.

"Trying to get rid of the shirt that is covering your chest." She answered with a mischievous grin as she tried to kiss him again. However he moved his head away and his heart broke as he saw the hurt and rejection in her eyes at his action, it was the same as on the night they had first met each other.

"You said you wanted to wait." He explained. "I'm just making sure that you are a full 100 percent behind this decision, and that this is not the wine talking."

A bright smile appeared on her face at his words. "You know..." She spoke. "What you just did, refusing to continue...Leo would never have done that in a million years. And _that_, along with _everything_ else you did for me tonight, proves that you are in no way like Leo, and will never be either. So I don't want to wait anymore, because I trust you fully...and I love you..."

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked again, trying to keep his face in a serious frown whereas his heart was almost beating out of his chest from love and happiness...and want...

She responded by crawling back towards him and softly pushing him against his chest into the pillows. She moved her head close to his ear. "Yes." She whispered before attaching her lips to his earlobe softly nibbling on it as her hands once again found the hem of her shirt. She smiled against his cheek as he now let her move up his shirt. His hands had started to roam over her body and they both let out a frustrated groan when they had to temporarily leave her to move the shirt over his head. As soon as his shirt was off he pulled her towards him on his lap, a leg on either side of his body and he reattached their lips, giving her a passionate kiss before moving to kiss her jaw line, her ear, her neck, and then her throat. She let out a sharp breath when she felt his lips attach to her pulse point and her nails raked over his bare back in anticipation. His lips moved back up again to the crook of her neck and then, after he had finally unbuttoned her blouse and thrown it off her, he continued to kiss her shoulder after which he made his way down to her chest again, kissing the newly exposed flesh before suddenly leaning back and just look at her.

"What is it?" She asked, insecurity suddenly washing over her face as she subconsciously brought an hand to her chest, with that gesture covering herself a little and blocking his view of her breasts that were up until then still covered in a black laced bra.

He softly grabbed her wrist and moved her arm away again. "God, you are so beautiful." He whispered, and when he looked at her a grin appeared on her face as she saw how his eyes had darkened with desire. She felt she loved the way he was looking at her right then and without warning she pressed him down on his back in the pillows and pressed her lips on his.

"Oh no, I don't think so Miss Mills." Daniel laughed as he grabbed both her wrists. "It is I who has control tonight, remember?" And without waiting for her to respond he quickly flipped them over. Regina gasped and laughed at once when her back was suddenly met with soft pillows as Daniel was now above her. Her legs were still wrapped around his waist and she pulled them closer to bring Daniel towards her.

She captured his lips with hers and she felt how he kissed her more forcefully when an involuntary low moan had emerged from her throat the moment she had felt his hand on her still covered left breast.

"Get it off." She breathed in between kisses. However, just as Daniel had unclasped her bra they heard the loud sound of the door being slammed open followed by a loud. "Oh dear god!", spoken by a voice both of them knew all too well.

Daniel quickly moved off of Regina and Regina sat up, a hand to her chest, keeping her bra from falling off. "Mother!" She screamed. "What are you doing!"

Cora just stood there, eyes wide, hand raised to her mouth that was wide agape. "I – I – We were on an evening walk through the woods and we– we saw the tealights and it – it is dangerous so we came to – we – "

"We?" Regina snapped. "Who else is out there?" However the mystery person chose to make its identity known just then.

"Honey, was there someone in the cottage, who is responsible for th– O lord..."

"Daddy! Don't look!" Regina shrieked, her mother walking in on them was one thing, but her father too was just too much. She shifted her gaze to Daniel who was standing completely stunned in the room now and she sent him a desperate look. A look he luckily picked up on as he started to move again.

"I suggest you leave us be, so we can end our _date_ without your interference?" He spoke in a less gentle voice then all of them were used to.

Cora blinked a couple of times and then slowly nodded. "I –Yes –we – I – Have a nice...continuation of your evening." The older woman frowned at her words as she tried desperately to forget the images she had just seen of her daughter on her back with her legs wrapped around a man– Daniel– without a shirt and – _Stop it Cora, stop it_...The woman shook her head as she turned around waved her hand and with that blew out all the tealights, leaving the only lightsource to be coming from the lamp her husband and she had taken with them on their walk, and of course the faint light of the fireplace in the cottage behind them. The cottage in which her daughter was having se– _No Cora do not say the word, it will only make it worse! _She sighed once again and when she felt how her husband gently entangled their arms she let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly, at which yet another dramatic sigh left her lips. "How do these kids say that nowadays, I am scarred for life or something...I think that was it...and if it is not, it still is how I feel." Cora said sadly as she and Henry walked away from the cottage as fast as possible.

**Soo...MOOD KILL! Please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one ^^!**

**And I have a QUESTION: Some of you want me to bring in Greg and Tamara, and although I do have an (original) storyline to write for them I'm not sure if I should include them in the first place. a pro is that it would make this story longer, a con is that it's greg and tamara :P.. so tell me what do you all want :)?**

**x**

**Metope**


	29. Chapter 28

**XVIII**

"And how did things go?" The blonde asked eagerly when Daniel and Regina entered the living room.

"Well," Regina sighed. "To sum the whole night up, I would say: My mother walked in on us, how does that sound?"

The blonde just stared at the pair her mouth fell open, her green eyes seemed to pop out of her head and slowly the corners of her mouth turned upwards before she started laughing almost hysterically.

"You – you have got to be kidding me!" She hiccupped. "C–Cora saw you too...getting it on?"

Regina's lips formed a thin line at Emma's choice of words. "I suppose so yes."

By the clipped tone of her friend's voice Emma knew Regina didn't like the situation at all, so she tried to get a hold of herself again and watched the brunette with curious eyes. "Why are you so upset? I mean, it isn't ideal, but it isn't the end of the world. On the bright side, you don't have to hide your relationship anymore!"

Regina shook her head and set a step closer to Daniel, who put a comforting hand on her shoulder in return. "Maybe I _wanted_ it to stay hidden." She said softly.

"Why?" The blonde asked confused.

"Look, can we not talk about this now? I am tired, my perfect date was ruined by my parents and I just want to sleep now. I take it you can let yourself out Emma?"

"Uh..yeah, sure.." The blonde said stunned and she started to make her way out of the room.

"Thank you for looking after Henry and Estelle, Emma." Daniel spoke just before she left, and when she looked at Daniel she saw that his eyes were as well apologizing for the brunette's behaviour.

"It's okay." She smiled back, winking at him to indicate she understood him, before she left the house.

"Now, what was all that about?" Daniel asked when he heard the front door close.

"Nothing." Regina's clipped voice sounded as she started to bring Emma's glass to the kitchen counter. "I'm just tired and I didn't want our date to end like it did."

A small smile appeared on Daniel's face as he went to stand behind Regina in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "So you liked it then?"

"Are you kidding me? It is the best, most perfect date I have ever had." Regina laughed as she turned her head so she could give him a kiss.

"Well, then drop the depressed mood and come to bed with me. Our children are stars in sleeping through the loudest noises, so I think we can continue what we didn't finish." He spoke when he broke the kiss. However when he tried to kiss her again Regina moved away from him.

"I'm tired." She spoke by means of explanation. "Can we just...sleep? I'm not in the mood anymore." And without waiting for a response she made her way to his bedroom.

Daniel sighed, when he had put out all the lights and entered his bedroom Regina was already lying in the bed, her eyes staring at an imaginary point on the wall.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked but she shook her head. "No, it will be fine. I'm going over to my mother's tomorrow to talk, and I think that will help."

He smiled at her words, so that was what was bothering her, she was afraid for the confrontation with Cora. He was proud of her that she decided to face her fears now, instead of walking away from them like she would have done only months ago. To show that pride he planted a soft kiss on her cheek before he slipped under the covers. "You're amazing, you know that." He spoke, and he knew she heard him and appreciated his words when she let him willingly hold her, and moved ever closer to him. It felt safe like this, and Daniel knew, they were meant to be.

* * *

Cora was surprised to see her daughter standing on her front porch this early in the morning already, especially after what had happened the night before. But she let her daughter come in, of course, and tried to act as if nothing had happened. Regina was now waiting in the living room accompanied by soft calming classical music. Things went fairly well, until her daughter didn't want to put up with the façade any longer and brought the subject to discussion when the older woman re-entered the living room with tea.

"So, about yesterday..." She started, and Cora watched amusingly how Regina had started fidgeting with the end of the sleeves of her blazer, her eyes fixed on the floor.

Cora decided she wouldn't torture her daughter any longer, as amusing as the sight was, and sat down next to the young brunette on the couch and put a reassuring hand on her left arm to stop Regina from fidgeting. "It's alright dear. I must say, I had rather not seen my baby girl engaged in...such activities...I know you have two children of your own, but I prefer to believe they just magically appeared...but...it's alright. I'm not mad, quite the opposite actually. I am _delighted_ to know that you and Daniel are finally together! I've been telling you this for months now, you two are meant for each other. It was only a matter of time before this would happen."

All this time Regina willingly listened to her mother's rambling – which was in fact, so out of character for the older woman that Regina was slightly stunned, unable to say anything even if she had wanted to. However, what Cora said next sent chills down the brunette's spine, as her heartbeat quickened and breathing suddenly became difficult.

"The love between the two of you is so obviously there! The way he looks at you...I am sure a marriage proposal won't be far away, dear."

Marriage? _Marriage!? _She wasn't going to marry again!? Not ever. Marriage equalled being held captive in her own life, marriage equalled _Leo_, marriage equalled pure _hell_. This was exactly why she had wanted to keep her relationship with Daniel hidden from Cora. She was going too fast. Love? Did she love Daniel? She didn't even decide whether she did for herself yet. She guessed she did, but that didn't mean she would have to marry Daniel, did it?

"Regina, dear, are you listening to me? Are you alright?" Her mother's voice, now slightly louder and laced with concern pulled her out of her thought. She felt a hand pressed to her forehead. "You're burning up. Try to slow down you breathing, Regina."

The younger brunette did as her mother told her, and slowly she started to feel better again.

"Care to tell me what happened? What is going on with you lately, I honestly don't understand why you kept your relationship with Daniel a secret, you should have known I would be supportive" Cora asked when she saw her daughter had calmed down a bit.

"Mother!" Regina breathed. "This is _exactly_ why I wanted it to stay a secret! You've been meddling in my love life since the moment I got here, yet you don't seem to care for what _I_ want! This is not your life but mine! And marriage, _marriage!_" She almost spit the word out. "Marriage is something that I hope _never_ to be engaged to, _ever_ again!" During her rant Regina had got up from the couch and was now facing Cora, who was still sitting down. Regina's chest was heaving and her cheeks had coloured red with frustration.

"Regina, dear – " Cora started, stunned by the sudden outburst of her daughter. "I must say I am a little confused...why are you suddenly this upset?"

"Didn't you listen to what I just said?" Regina now practically yelled as tears started to fall down her cheeks. "You are completely making my love life yours! I don't want marriage, not ever again! I want to take things slow! Do you have _any_ idea how long it has taken me to even accept that I am in a relationship again? Do you know how many anxiety attacks I have been through before I was able to come to terms with the fact that I was falling in love again? How many sleepless nights I have had over this? The last time all that happened ended badly, mother! You don't have the slightest idea of how living with Leo was! How he hurt me, both physically and figuratively! Marriage is something that he has ruined permanently for me. And here you are getting ahead of everything already! That was our _first_ date!"

A sympathetic smile appeared on Cora's face as she now got up from the couch and walked over to Regina. Slowly she took her daughter's hands in hers. "Regina, dear. I know you are scared, but that will change. There is no need to get this upset. Eventually Daniel will propose, and you will say yes, trust me. You will both be ready and you will make Daniel happy as he will make you."

Fear overwhelmed Regina once more at her mother's words. _You will make Daniel happy_. Did that mean she could only make him happy by marrying him? Did Daniel expect her to marry him eventually? She shook her head, she shouldn't think like this, she shouldn't listen to her mother when it came to this subject.

"I'm not marrying anyone ever again mother." She said through gritted teeth.

"Nonsense, Regina. You have a child together, it is only fitting that you marry."

Regina let out a laugh of disbelieve. "So that is what this is all about!? You want me to marry someone against my will only because it is _fitting_? Because it will make you look better as the mayor with the perfect reunited family!? I can't believe this, I would have never thought you were like that!"

"Against your will? I would _never_ make you do anything against your will, Regina!" Cora now replied more forcefully. "I'm just saying that you should maybe reconsider your view on the concept."

This was too much for Regina. She was really trying to contain her anger, fear and frustration but it became harder by the minute. The music that was continuing to play didn't really help, as the angry and low tones of Wagner sounded through the room her head started to hurt and it became hard to think. She needed to get out of here, away from her mother, with whom she couldn't reason at this moment. She pulled her hands out of Cora's and set a step back, almost tumbling over the coffee table that was standing behind her.

"Regina, are you alright? Listen to me please?"

"Listen to you!? Why don't you listen to me for once, Cora! I do NOT want to marry again. You have no idea what it was like! It was hell, Cora! Being married to him was worse than living with my abusive foster parents, _ten times_ worse! I came here to explain to you what I and Daniel have, but you don't even let me! I am done with this!" As she yelled at her mother the pressure in her head had increased even more, it felt as if her head was filled with cotton balls, she saw her mother's lips moving yet she didn't hear her voice, she only heard the angry music of Wagner.

And just like that she started to feel the surge of energy that had almost become familiar by now. She raised her hands to her eyes, half expecting to see something happening there. The gesture caused her to be shocked all the more when she saw blue smoke slowly engulfing her from her feet. The room around her started to turn, the music of Wagner zoned out...she lost her balance and felt herself fall down on a hard wooden floor. When she opened her eyes again the dizziness had stopped and instead of looking at her mother in the mansion was looking into the shocked face of Daniel, whose hand was up in the air holding a spoon that contained a bite of Estelle's breakfast, and Estelle who let out a delighted giggle when she suddenly saw her mommy appear in the middle of the kitchen, smashing the spoon out of her daddy's hand in the process.

Time to recover from the shock there was not, when moments after Regina's appearance, Cora appeared in a puff of dark blue smoke. "Regina! Are you alright baby! O I am sorry, I shouldn't have made you this upset! You need to tell me what happened, what you felt, we have got to get this under control!" Cora rambled once again as she pulled her daughter up from the floor and pulled her into a hug.

Regina just let her mother do all this without moving a finger of her own accord. She just stared wide eyed at Daniel from over Cora's shoulder. Her dark eyes seemed to scream only one question: "What the hell just happened?"

**I am incredibly sorry for the long wait! Uni has started again and I have problems with my back and arms again so updating goes horribly slow T_T! Tell me what you think about this! Regina used magic again, and we see start to see a pattern as to what triggers her use of magic (or maybe you don't yet, don't worry it will all be explained later :P). Next chapter: Rumpelstiltskin second lesson!**

**And also DEAR ONCERS: I would like to ask your attention for PruedenceKimberley's amazing fanfiction "All I Need"! It is so good! Go check it out! **

**x**

**Metope**

**ps. I will reread on any mistakes tomorrow, I promise!**


	30. Chapter 29

**XXIX**

"I felt upset…" Regina murmured. "And the music was so angry, and it felt as if my head was exploding, and I wanted to leave, I wanted to be gone…and then this happened..." She pulled away from the embrace that Cora was still holding her in and looked her mother straight in the eyes. "Mother...every time now that I have used magic my head started hurting and all sorts of melodies started to float through my head. Is it the same for you?"

By the frown that appeared on Cora's face Regina knew it wasn't. "I already suspected as much..." The older woman said instead. "I can sense your magic getting stronger whenever you play the piano or are humming a song. It seems as if music triggers your magic. How...odd..." The woman started to drift away in her own thoughts but was brought back to reality by a high pitched squeal from Estelle, followed by the loud clattering of Estelle's – still full – plate on the floor.

"Estelle!" Regina scolded, and the tone of her voice made it that she didn't have to say anything else as the grin that had been on the infant's face immediately disappeared.

Regina sighed as she looked at the mess on the floor and then to her daughter who had managed to cover herself with food as well. "I will clean this up, if you can take Estelle." Daniel answered with a sigh as he got up from his chair. He had been a little too shaken by what had just happened to actively watch his daughter.

"She doesn't even cry!" Cora exclaimed surprised as she watched how Regina lifted Estelle out of her seat and placed her on her hip. "Whenever I would scold you like that at that age you would start crying as if there were no tomorrow."

"Well then you obviously bought my theatrics, whereas I don't buy Estelle's, something she knows." Regina smirked before her face grew serious again. "Mother, can we talk later? I am busy today. I start working at the school tomorrow and I still need to sort some things out." A lesson with Mister Gold, to be precise, but she wasn't going to tell her mother that.

Before Cora had the chance to react Regina quickly placed a kiss to her mother's cheek and then softly pressed against Cora's back with her free hand, pushing her towards the door.

"I'll call you mother. Now, Estelle, grandma is going again, say bye, bye grandma!" With her hand she softly took her daughter's little arm in her hand and slowly waved it to Cora. Once Estelle knew what was expected of her she made the gesture herself, a wide grin on her chubby face.

"Bye sweethearts." Cora smiled as all desire to protest against the way her daughter was sending her away left her at the adorable sight of her granddaughter waving at her. They would talk later.

* * *

**I know I know, this is the lousiest lamest chapter update EVER XD. But it's with a good reason!**

**I am fairly sure that the teacher of one of my courses has gone absolutely insane considering the amount of work he is giving us! I have been studying last Wednesday from 11 AM til 2 AM to read 4 lousy articles that I didn't understand and write a critical analysis for all of them for example. This, together with the fact that I have to be careful not to hurt my back, or use my wrists too much (because they will hurt immediately), means that I have little time left to do anything that is not studying. It depends on what I've done that day whether I can still draw or write a fanfic chapter, or that it all hurts too much and all I can do is watch TV... **

**I've got two fanfictions going on right now, this one and my Hooked Queen story A bubble bursting with love. The point of this little story: Updates will be a lot less frequent, as you had probably noticed already. This little update was because I absolutely hate it when I follow a story and I think it's a new update and it turns out to be just an Author's Note, so I thought I would accompany my author's note with a small chapter instead ^^. I do have thought out the upcoming chapter already, so the moment I find the strength and time to write it all down I will update again! I hope you will all stay with me through this! I love your reviews and I am extremely grateful for and happy with the amount of people that follows this story ;)!**

**Hope to be back with a new chapter soon!**

**x**

**Metope - btw, you can find me on twitter as Diejj **


	31. Chapter 30

**XXX**

* * *

It was 7:45 PM when Regina had put on her shoes and Daniel helped her into her coat. Both adults' faces were worried, jaws clenched, as neither liked what was about to happen.

"You don't have to go." Daniel tried a last time. Regina turned around and sent him an apologetic smile.

"We both know that I do. Consequences will be worse if I don't go." She stepped closer to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Don't worry." She spoke softly, cupping his face with her right hand, her thumb softly brushing his cheek. "I will be careful, all will be fine."

He looked into her chocolate brown eyes that looked at him with so much love and trust. It was only fair of him to love and trust her with the same intensity. He slowly nodded, taking her hand in his and placing a kiss on it. "Alright. I trust you. But you will have to go now then if you don't want to be late."

She smiled nervously and nodded as she turned around. But just as she was about to open the front door, the door to the living room opened and her five – almost six – year old son came running into the hallway.

"Mommy!" He yelled. "Wait! I have to ask you something before you go!"

"Henry, can't it wait. I really have to go now, you don't want me to be late, do you?"

"But mommy, it's only one question. A really simple one." The boy pouted as he came to a stop in front of his mother and used his best puppy eyes to win her over. It worked. Of course it worked, and Regina sighed.

"Alright then Henry. What is it you need to know that cannot wait?"

She wasn't prepared for the question, and subsequently didn't have an answer to his 'simple question' right away. "Is auntie Cora your mommy?"

"Henry, maybe it's better to save that question for when your mother has a little bit more time to explain things to you." Daniel started, but Regina shook her head. She had wanted to tell Henry about his grandparents for weeks, months even, but she hadn't known how or where to begin. She might as well tell him now. And she knew her son, he wouldn't rest until he got the answer, which meant he would try to stay awake until her return – and probably succeed in it as well.

"Wh – What makes you think that, Henry?" She tried as a first reaction. She would be late, but she didn't care. Gold just had to be patient.

"Miss Ruby said she was my grandmother. I thoughts only daddies had mothers, because grandma Eleanor was daddy's mother. So I asked my teacher and she said mommies have mothers too, so then I thoughts auntie Cora is your mommy then, but then I don't understand why I call her auntie." The boy rambled, and Regina sighed once more, making a mental note to 'thank' Ruby for her discretion.

"Well, Henry." She started as she crouched down so her eyes were at his level. "It is true what Miss Lucas said, Cora is indeed my mother, and your grandmother. And so Henry is my father, and your grandfather…But, I didn't _know_ they were my parents at first, so that is why we called Cora 'auntie Cora' first, because I didn't know. Do you understand that?"

The boy looked at her for a while with his bright young hazel eyes, as he was processing the information. First he slowly nodded but then he quickly shook his head and scrunched up his nose. "But how can you not know who your mommy and daddy is? I know that _you_ are my mommy, and I have _two_ daddies. So I need to remember more, and I didn't forget."

Regina and Daniel both smiled at the child-logics and the fact that he considered Daniel wholeheartedly as his father. "I didn't remember because….I _lost_ my parents when I was a little girl. And I couldn't find them anymore, and they couldn't find me. So I lived without my parents for a _very_ long time, and that made me forget about them." She hoped this simplified explanation of what had happened was good enough for him for now. Regina didn't particularly feel like explaining the boy how the stories in his fairy tale books were real, how magic was real and that she had fallen through a portal.

"Well, that's very silly of you, mommy." The boy concluded in an almost reprimanding tone of voice. And Regina couldn't help but chuckle, as some of the stress that had been building up inside her was released.

"Yes Henry. You have a very silly mother. Did you get enough answers, so that I can go now?" She smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Only if you give me a kiss." The boy grinned a toothy grin and smiled even wider when his mother enveloped him in a loving embrace and pressed a kiss in his hair.

"I am glad Cora and Henry are my grandparents, mommy. They are much nicer than grandma Eleanor." The boy whispered to her before he let go of his mother.

"Henry, that's not nice of you to say." Regina scolded him, but the smile on her face told the little boy that she agreed with him on that.

"Well. I'm going to take this young man upstairs so he can go to bed. And you _really_ need to go to your appointment now Regina." Daniel said as he scooped Henry up in his arms and swung him over his shoulder. The boy giggled and playfully hit Daniel on his back as to make him let go of him.

"I will." Regina smiled as she gave Daniel a quick peck on the cheek. "Sleep well, my little knight." She said to Henry who was still struggling to break free out of Daniel's grasp.

"Good night mommy." The boy laughed. And with a smile on her face Regina opened the front door and walked into the cold winter night. It was time for her lesson in magic.

* * *

"You're late!"

"I came as soon as I could. My son needed me." She spoke in a clipped voice as she entered the open place in the woods where they had met the last time.

Before he could say anything, she spoke again. "I did magic. Not on purpose, but it happened."

His eyes widened in excitement at her statement. "Tell me what happened."

She walked closer to him so they were only a few meters apart now. "I – I was having a fight with my mother. She kept going on and on about the same thing, not really listening to what I was saying at all. And I felt so extremely frustrated…I wanted to leave, and the music that was playing filled my head, adding even more pressure to the headache that Cora was giving me. And then, I suddenly somehow transported myself to my own home…Just like that. One moment I was standing in the living room of my mother and the other I fell on the kitchen floor of my own home. Mother appeared not long after, very shocked about what happened – I didn't tell her anything about our deal!" Regina quickly added as she saw her teacher's eyes – he was her teacher now, wasn't he? – narrow. He gave a short nod when he saw she was speaking the truth and gestured her to continue.

"Well. My mother said that it seems like music triggers my magic. Every time up until now that I have used magic, music was involved…." Her voice trailed off as she watched intently how it seemed that all the gears in her teacher's head had started working. Just as she thought that maybe she should say something again, just to snap him back to reality he started to speak again.

"Then in what way was music involved when you send that bolt of energy to me the other day, dearie?"

Her cheeks instantly flushed a bright red at the question and she cast her eyes to the ground. "I – uhm – I was thinking how you really were just a child bullying someone weaker than you. One of those songs bullies use to sing got stuck into my head at that thought, repeating itself over and over again until I felt the energy within me built itself up to a point where I simply couldn't contain it any longer, and I let it all out."

An odd sounding grin that escaped the man's throat sent chills down her spine as it remembered her of the reptile-looking imp of all those years ago. "I see, I see. Of course, how could I have not seen it sooner?" The man spoke, more to himself then to her.

"I'm sorry?" Regina asked, she hated how small her voice sounded. But as the situation was now she had no idea what was going on, and her last encounter with the pawnbroker hadn't entirely left her mind yet.

"Magic is emotion." The man said as he walked closer to her. "To get access to one's magic, one must touch their deepest feelings. After that it's only a matter of learning to channel the magical energy without needing an internal doctor Phil moment every time."

Regina couldn't help but chuckle at the metaphor. "I understand." She spoke. "But what has music got to do with it? My mother had no clue at all."

"Tsssk. Patience is a virtue, dearie. And of course your mother doesn't know what this is all about. Cora is no intellectual, even though she might make people believe she is. She's a mere miller's daughter. All she knows, is what _I_ taught her, and all that she doesn't know, is what I _didn't_ teach her."

Regina frowned at the way Gold spoke about her mother, as well as at the new information. She knew Rumpelstiltskin had been her mother's tutor, but she hadn't known that her mother had been a miller's daughter. It made her wonder how she had ended up marrying a prince.

"Now," The pawnbroker continued, snapping Regina back to the present. "_You_, dearie, are very special. You have…a gift…I think you could call it that, yes." The man smirked as he saw how the chocolate brown eyes of his protégé stared at him with the same eagerness to learn as those of her mother had done all those years ago. A small frown creased her forehead as the imp told her the story of the nine muses, the nine lights with each their own specialty, the blue light being the muse of music…He told her how the muses could not die, how they would reincarnate into another person once their previous owner had died. He told her how the muses chose only those with the purest of heart and soul. For the heart and soul needed to be reflection of the power of the lights.

"The fact that your magic is initially driven by music, and that the color of your magic is such an unnatural bright shade of blue. Can only mean one thing, dearie, _you_ are the muse of music of this age."

She stared at him for a while after he had stopped speaking. He let her, it must have been a lot to process.

"But my magic…it's _good_ magic then?" She finally asked. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to mock her. She was right, it _was_ good magic that she possessed, the question, however, was for how long it would remain that way. For when he would be done with her, her soul and magic would be darker than her mother's had ever been. For now, however, he chose to tell her what she wanted to hear. Her reluctance to use magic emerged out of fear for becoming _evil_, fear of becoming like her mother had been in the stories that had been told to her. If he wanted her to be receptive to magic, it would probably be best to just tell her she possessed good magic indeed. And so he nodded.

"Yes, dearie. You have one of the purest forms of magic in all the realms. Fairy's magic seems grey and dull compared to you. Only maybe Miss Swan's magic, for she is the product of true love, is of an equal goodness as yours."

He chuckled when a bright smile appeared on her face. "I don't have to worry about becoming evil then?" She asked and he shook his head, all the while smirking because he had been right about his assumptions. "As long as you let your moral compass lead you, like you let it do up until now, all will be fine, dearie. I'm merely here to help you control your magic."

"But why can't I tell anyone about this, then?" Regina asked. "If my magic is good, and you want to help me as you say you want, then what's the danger into telling people what our deal is about?"

"There are many reasons, dearie. Not all people are as good willing as I am, for one. I know a certain pirate who would love to get his hands on you once he knows how powerful you are." He knew his words had effect when he saw her shuddering slightly at the mentioning of the captain. "People might also think that I want to hurt you. People like your mother, for example. I don't have to explain to you that our history together is less than pretty, and she will forbid you to continue these lessons. She will want to teach you how to control your magic herself, and that can have disastrous consequences. She doesn't know a single thing about the powers of the muses, you see, she would be playing with fire, so to say."

He saw she believed every single word. When he had first met her, when she had come to ask him for his help to get her son back, she had appeared to be this strong confident woman, who didn't let herself be fooled easily. However he had soon enough come to learn that she was a woman who was broken inside. The image of confidence was only a mask to keep up appearances. As long as she was in her own comfort zone she was the first to take control, much like Cora. However, unlike Cora, she possessed a great deal of naivety, inherited from her weak and foolish father, no doubt. And that naivety made that she was now, now she was out of her comfort zone, believing every single word that he was telling her.

"So that's why I want you to keep this deal a secret."

She nodded. "I understand."

"Now, let's start, shall we? Last time was mostly a way for me to see what you could do without any tutelage. We'll start from scratch now with some simple tricks and see from there."

Regina smiled and sent him a short nod. She felt a lot better than that she had done when she left the house. It seemed as if there was a whole different man standing in front of her now. She had made things bigger in her head than they actually were. Her magic was good, and Gold was only helping her to learn how to control her magic. That was a good thing as well, wasn't it? It would mean there wouldn't be any sudden outbursts of magic anymore.

* * *

He had thought of all different sorts of scenarios. She could return crying, she could return angry, she could come back seething with anger, she could come back hurt, she could come back confused, or scared, she couldn't come back at all…But thinking she could come back in a much better mood than that she had left the house with, smiling a smile that for the first time since she had been taken by Gold reached her eyes, now _that_ he hadn't dared to think in a million years.

"We were worried about nothing." She said in answer to his questioning gaze. "All is fine. It's nothing dangerous, he's helping me. I still can't say what with because he doesn't want me to and it is part of the deal. But all is well." She sighed as she hung up her coat and then went to sit next to him on the couch.

"Are the kids asleep?"

He nodded.

"Good." She smiled as she flung her leg over his so she was sitting on his lap and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. "Because I missed you, and I think it is time that we finally continue what we didn't get to finish on our first date." She spoke with a broad grin after she broke the kiss.

"Are you sure?" He asked. He still hadn't forgotten how she had recoiled under his touch only a couple of weeks ago.

She answered by pressing her lips to his again her tongue bagging for entrance as her hands travelled down to the belt of his jeans.

Now it was he who broke the kiss as he slowly moved his hands to her thighs so that, when he moved forward and stood up from the couch he was able to carry her. "If we are going to do this, I want to do this right. And that means I want to cherish you upstairs in our bedroom instead of here on this small couch."

"I love you." She whispered and he felt the truth behind her words as she slammed their lips together once more. It would be quite the challenge to make it upstairs like this, but he wouldn't want it a different way….

**Oh Regina, how can you be so naïve sometimes xD!**

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think ;)!**

**X**

**Metope**


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